State sales tax holiday set Aug. 6-8

By Sidney Bartee

This year’s state sales tax holiday is set for Friday, Aug. 6 through Sunday, Aug. 8.

The law exempts sales tax on qualified items – such as clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks – priced below $100, saving shoppers about eight dollars on every $100 they spend.

Because of the ­COVID-19 pandemic, cloth and disposable masks are now listed as a clothing item, making them exempt from sales tax on the weekend.

Apparel and school supplies that may be purchased tax-free are listed on the Comptroller’s website at texastaxholiday.org.

Qualifying items can also be purchased online or by telephone, mail, custom order or any other means (including in-store purchases) tax free when the item is both delivered and paid for by the customer during the exemption or the customer orders and pays for the item, and the seller accepts the order during the tax-free weekend for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period ends.

Texas’ sales tax holiday weekend has been an annual event since 1999, allowing Texans to save millions of dollars in state and local sales tax each year.