With the high gas and grocery prices breaking the bank these days, the 2008 Sales Tax Holiday couldn’t come at a better time – Thursday to Sunday this week.
The annual tax break was issued thanks to House Bill 948, which excludes state and local taxes on items including clothing, personal computers and general school supplies.
Governor Sonny Perdue signed HB 948 May 14.
"I encourage parents, students and teachers to take advantage of this weekend’s sales tax holiday to purchase those much-needed supplies," he said in a press release. "Past experience shows that many retailers offer additional discounts and sales that add up to even more savings for back-to-school shoppers."
Articles of clothing and footwear with an individual sale price of $100 or less will be exempt for taxation. This will not include items like handbags, umbrellas, jewelry, wallets, hair accessories, etc. Personal computers costing $1,500 or less and related computer accessories will also not be taxed.
General school items costing $20 or less individually will not be taxed, including items such as backpacks, book covers, calculators, blank CDs, colored pencils, crayons, flash cards, computer accessories, labels, binders, lunch boxes, paper, pens and pencils, paste, erasers, scotch tape, staplers, and dictionaries and thesauruses, among many other items. For the full list, visit the Georgia Department of Revenue website at www.dor.ga.gov/salestax.
Here are some tips for shopping during the tax holiday:
- Know what’s going to be tax free – bring the list with you so you can reference it in the store if necessary.
- Compare prices between stores and look for last minute specials.
- Budget your money so you won’t overspend on items you might not really need.
- Bring ads from one store to another, since competitors will often match prices on the same merchandise.
- Check extended store hours and plan for longer lines; if a store is offering additional hours, consider shopping during the extended hours instead of regular hours.
Under HB 948, an exemption on certain energy and water efficient products will also happen from Oct. 2-5. More information specific to this tax holiday will be available closer to the date.
Bryan County Schools suggested supplies
First grade – No. 2 pencils and a sharpener, plastic three-pronged folders with pockets, pink bar eraser or pencil cap erasers, pocket pencil pouch or pencil box and, in South Bryan, a marble composition book.
Second grade – No. 2 pencils, wide-ruled paper, pink bar eraser or pencil cap erasers, pencil box or pouch, one plastic folder with pockets for homework, one plastic three-pronged folder with pockets and, in South Bryan, a composition book.
Third grade – No. 2 pencils with extra erasers (no mechanical pencils), wide-ruled paper and one two-inch three-ring binder. In North Bryan, five pocket folders without prongs (yellow, red, green, blue and purple). In South Bryan, a composition notebook, eight subject dividers and a small pocket pencil pouch with three holes. Teachers have requested no Trapper Keepers for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.
Fourth grade – No. 2 pencils with extra erasers, colored pencils, one two-inch three-ring binder, wide-ruled paper, and one marble and one spiral composition notebook. In North Bryan, five pocket folders. In South Bryan, subject dividers with pockets, a yellow highlighter, red pens and a pencil sharpener.
Fifth grade - No. 2 pencils with extra erasers, colored pencils, one one-inch three-ring binder, wide-ruled notebook paper, subject dividers, pocket folders with prongs and pockets and a yellow highlighter. In South Bryan, crayons and markers, black and red pens, a dry erase marker and one marble and one spiral composition notebook. In North Bryan, two non-spiral composition notebooks.
Middle School – paper, pencils, eraser, black or blue ink pen, one red ink pen, pencil pouch, ruler, colored pencils, non-spiral composition book, three-ring binders for each subject (1.5-2 inches for math, at least one inch for science, ELA and social studies), dividers and, for BCMS only, two-pocket three-prong folders.
- compiled by Curriculum Resource teachers