Raleigh —- Rep. Michael H. Wray is reminding consumers that they can buy back-to-school items this coming weekend without having to pay sales taxes.
The state’s seventh-annual state and local sales tax holiday begins Friday, August 1 and runs through Sunday, August 3.
The General Assembly created the holiday in 2001 and has expanded this year’s list of exempt items to include instructional materials such as reference books, maps, globes, textbooks and workbooks with an individual cost of up to $300. The previous price limit for individual items was $100.
“This weekend’s sales tax holiday will help North Carolina families better prepare their children for the start of school so they are able to enter the classroom ready to learn,” Rep. Wray said. “Friday through Sunday will be a great opportunity for families to save some money on necessary back-to-school items, while also supporting our local businesses. I hope that all residents of Northampton, Vance and Warren Counties and all North Carolinians will take advantage of these savings.”
During the tax holiday weekend, consumers will not pay sales tax on: clothes and footwear costing less than $100 each; school supplies such as pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, textbooks, book bags, lunch bags and calculators costing less than $100 each; sports and recreation equipment costing $50 or less each; computers costing less than $3,500 and computer supplies costing less that $250 each.
A complete list of eligible items is available at the N.C. Department of Revenue’s Web site.