Tax-free weekend
Brooklyn Navarre tries on a pair of fall Minnetonka boots with her mom, Angie, owner of Highland Shoe Company in Lee Branch. Photo by Olivia Burton.
Alabama’s annual Back-to-School tax-free weekend will take place from 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 7 to midnight on Sunday, Aug. 9. Mountain Brook, Hoover, Vestavia, Homewood, and Shelby County will be participating in the tax exemption.
In addition to the sales tax exemption, many stores will feature special sales over the weekend.
“It’s a great opportunity to get back-to-school supplies as well as other things, such as clothing,” said Kirk Mancer, president and CEO of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce. According to Mancer, the tax exemption benefits both shoppers and businesses because it encourages shoppers to spend money while allowing them to save on what they need.
General-use apparel such as dresses, jackets, pants, shirts, shoes and underwear will be exempt from Alabama’s sales tax over the weekend. All clothing items must be under $100. Clothing accessories such as cosmetics, jewelry, wallets and watches, protective equipment such as tool belts and hard hats, and sport or recreational equipment such as goggles and shoulder pads will not be exempt from sales tax.
The exemption also applies to computers and other electronics under $750, school supplies under $50, educational books under $30 and required textbooks between $30 and $50. Furniture, video games, magazines and newspapers will remain taxable.
For more information and a complete list of exemptions, visit revenue.alabama.gov/salestax/salestaxhol.cfm.
