BETHESDA, Md. – As summer winds down and the new school year quickly approaches, Maryland and Virginia sales tax holidays may help local residents save some money.
First up is Virginia with a sales tax holiday weekend. It began Friday and runs through Sunday.
Shoppers will be exempt from paying sales taxes on school supplies that cost less than $20 per item, clothing and footwear that cost less than $100 per item, emergency preparedness items such as chainsaws and generators, and Energy Star appliances that cost $2,500 or less per item.
, starting Sunday and running through Saturday.
The tax exemption only applies to clothing and footwear that cost less than $100 per item.
“It is a great opportunity to come out and buy clothing and footwear that is exempt from the 6 percent sales tax,” Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot told 鶹.
Franchot said the tax holiday stimulates the state’s economy since it gets people out shopping and encourages them to buy a few things that may not be exempt from the sales tax.
Maryland was the second state in the nation to introduce a sales tax holiday, following Florida in 2007. Franchot told 鶹 he would like the state general assembly to expand the list of items included in the holiday the next time it comes up for renewal.