A popular tax-savings program related to the new school year is making a return.
The next sales-tax-free weekend for back-to-school-related purchases begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday. During this weekend, many school-related supplies may be purchased without having to pay the usual sales taxes on them. During the sales-tax holiday, clothing, footwear and school supplies of $100 or less per item, sports and recreation equipment of $50 or less per item, computers of $3,500 or less per item and computer supplies of $250 or less per item will be exempt from state and local sales taxes.
“Of course. People want to take advantage of the tax-free weekend,” replied Chris Evans, manager of the Walmart Super Center in Washington, when asked if she expects a busier-than-usual weekend.
Asked if the tax-free weekend is one of the store’s busiest weekends, Evans said it’s among the store’s top 10 weekends in any given year.
The expected increase in business means more Walmart associates on the job.
“The home office actually aligns our staffing to make sure we have people here to accommodate the business need,” Evans said Tuesday.
“We plan 90 days out for all events,” Evans said.
The sales-tax holiday applies to state and local sales and use taxes. The back-to-school sales-tax holiday was enacted by the N.C. Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Mike Easley in 2001.
The sales-tax holiday means that for each $100 spent on eligible items in Beaufort County, the consumer saves $6.75 in sales tax, according to the N.C. Department of Revenue’s website. The combined state and local sales taxes in Beaufort County come to 6.75 cents per dollar. For each $100 in purchases made in Pitt County, customers will save $7. The combined state and local sales taxes in Pitt County come to 7 cents per dollar.
This weekend’s back-to-school-related sales-tax holiday will be the 11th one, with the first one in 2002.
Retailers may only collect from their customers sales taxes that are legally due (during the weekend), according to the N.C. Department of Revenue’s Web site. Retailers may not choose to not participate in the sales-tax weekend, according to the N.C. Department of Revenue.
Clothing accessories, jewelry, cosmetics, protective equipment, wallets, furniture, items used in a trade or business and rentals are not covered by the exemption and will be subject to the applicable taxes.
Go to http://www.dor.state.nc.us/taxes/sales/salestax_holiday.html for more details on the 2012 sales-tax holiday, including a technical bulletin that specifies the items that are exempt from sales tax.