Virginia’s sixth annual back-to-school sales tax holiday will take place the weekend of
August 5. During the three-day period, August 5-7, many school supplies and clothing items will be exempt from the state and local sales tax.
A variety of school supplies, including notebooks, pens, binders and calculators will be tax-free as long as each item costs $20 or less. Most clothing items and footwear will also be exempt from the 5 percent sales tax as long as they are priced at $100 or less each. Lists of eligible items, along with guidelines and frequently asked questions for both consumers and retailers, are posted on the Department of Taxation website at www.tax.virginia.gov.
The 2011 holiday is expected to save Virginians an estimated $4.3 million in sales tax this year. Virginia also holds sales tax holidays for Energy Star- and WaterSense-qualified products in October and for hurricane preparedness in May.
