Virginia's sixth annual back-to-school sales tax holiday will take place Aug. 5-7. During this three-day period, many school supplies and clothing items will be exempt from the state and local sales tax, easing the financial burden of families as they prepare to send their children back to school.
As in past years, a variety of school supplies, including notebooks, pens, binders, calculators, paints and crayons, will be tax-free as long as each item costs $20 or less. Most clothing items and footwear will also be exempt from the 5 percent sales tax as long as they are priced at $100 or less each. There is no limit on the number of items you can purchase tax-free as long as each item qualifies. Lists of eligible items, along with guidelines and frequently asked questions for both consumers and retailers, are posted on the Department of Taxation website at www.tax.virginia.gov/.
The sales tax holiday is available to anyone - not just those preparing for school - and all Virginia retailers who sell the exempt products must participate.
The 2011 holiday is expected to save Virginians an estimated $4.3 million in sales tax this year. Virginia also holds sales tax holidays for Energy Star- and WaterSense-qualified products in October and for hurricane preparedness in May.
For more information on all of the states' 2011 Sales Tax Holidays, click here.