Alabama’s 18th annual back-to-school sales tax holiday will take place Friday, July 21st through Sunday the 23rd. During the annual event the State of Alabama waives its four percent sales tax on school-related supplies and clothing. More than 325 cities and counties throughout Alabama also waive their local taxes. In some areas, the savings reach 10 percent.
According to the Alabama Department of Revenue, Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, and Lawrence Counties all participate in the holiday and suspend county sales tax. The cities of Cherokee, Florence, Littleville, Muscle Shoals, Russellville, Town Creek, and Tuscumbia suspend their city taxes, while Anderson does not. Leighton, Lexington, Sheffield, and Waterloo have not notified the Revenue Department whether or not they are participating.
Exempt items include:
- Clothing priced at $100 or less per article;
- School supplies valued at $50 or less per item;
- Books that cost $30 or less per book; and
- Tablets, laptops, computers and printers with a selling price of $750 or less.
The sales tax holiday provides shoppers a way to save money and support their local economies, especially those local businesses that sell the covered items exclusively, like shoe, children’s apparel, school supply, book and computer stores. Some of the widely needed items include diapers, printer ink, thumb or flash drives, printer paper and art supplies, with school supply budgets sometimes running over $1,000.
“The sales tax holiday offers parents a way to save on back-to-school needs,” said Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown. “Saving money for consumers while stimulating sales for stores is what this weekend is all about.” Although the sales tax holiday targets back-to-school shoppers, any consumer can benefit from the savings offered during the weekend. A wide range of items are exempt during the holiday, so there is a reason for everyone to shop.
See the Full list of tax-exempt items
Data courtesy Alabama Retail Association and Alabama Department of Revenue.