Mississippi shoppers preparing to return to school can buy shoes and clothes this weekend without sales tax.
Clothes and shoes costing up to $100 per item are exempt from the 7 percent state sales tax on Friday and Saturday.
Other items, including school supplies and computers, are not, per state law.
This is now the fourth year for the statewide tax holiday.
Although a 7 percent sale would normally not be too big of a deal, the psychological effect of not having to pay taxes seems to influence shoppers, according to several business owners and experts.
“I just think the idea that they don’t have to pay tax, more than the percent,” said Jamie Underwood, manager of Greenwood’s J.C. Penney. “It’s just a break from paying taxes.”
Ron Aldridge, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, compared the sales tax weekend to the day after Thanksgiving in an interview with the Associated Press.
“It gets people fired up and in the mood to shop, and that’s exactly what our economy needs right now, especially with the additional savings to individuals and families for needed clothing and footwear,” Aldridge said.
Anthony Ola, owner of two Greenwood shoe stores, said he definitely expects a busy weekend, as the tax holiday has been in the past.
“It kind of gets the back-to-school business started,” Ola said. “It seems to me like it’s getting bigger and bigger.”
He said many people support Greenwood during the holiday by shopping locally, noting that the 7 percent savings could easily be erased by the costs of driving elsewhere and eating while there.
The timing is also right for the break; Underwood said this is normally the busiest back-to-school shopping weekend anyway.
• Contact Charlie Smith at 581-7235 or csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
Sales tax holiday information
