Tax Free holiday set for first weekend in August

Ohio’s annual sales tax holiday is just around the corner, having been set for Friday, Aug. 3 through Sunday, Aug. 5 this year.

The weekend is designed to help back-to-school shoppers save money on common items by listing three kinds of items as exempt from Ohio’s sales tax. This includes clothing priced at $75 per item or less; school supplies priced at $20 per item or less; and school instructional materials priced at $20 or less.

The holiday is set in Ohio law and aims to help ensure all students have the items necessary to succeed in their classroom. The state legislature voted earlier this year to make the annual sales tax weekend permanent. The three-day tax holiday will begin on the first Friday of every August to give parents, teachers and students a chance to purchase school-related supplies without added tax.

According to research by the University of Cincinnati commissioned by the Ohio Council of Merchants, consumers in Ohio saved $3.3 million in taxes in 2015, having bought $46.75 million worth of back-to-school items.