Virginia, Maryland Tax holidays coming up

Virginia and Maryland will offer school shoppers some much-needed relief as annual sales tax holidays are scheduled this month. In Virginia, shoppers will experience tax free shopping starting at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 3 until midnight on Sunday, Aug. 5. This year, Shop Maryland Week is August 12-18.

In Virginia, qualifying school supplies selling for $20 or less per item and qualifying clothing and footwear for $100 or less per article are exempt from sales tax. Buyers should remember that qualifying items do not need to be used in school, or in connection with a school activity. This gives Virginia consumers a chance to boost up seasonal clothing for a toddler or parent as well as fill in the gaps of the family's office supplies. Computer supplies do not qualify. Qualifying clothing items must be under $100 per article and appropriate for everyday wear. This does not include sporting equipment or footwear primarily used for athletic activity or clothing for protective use.

School supply items available tax free in Virginia this weekend include binder pockets and binders; binders; blackboard chalk; book bags; calculators; cellophane tape; compasses; composition books; crayons; dictionaries and thesauruses; dividers; erasers (including dry erase marker erasers and dry erase marker cleaning solutions); expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila folders; glue, paste, and glue sticks; highlighters; index cards; index card boxes; legal pads; lunch boxes; markers (including dry erase markers and dry erase marker kits); musical instruments, musical instrument accessories, and replacement items for musical instruments; notebooks; paints (acrylic, tempera, and oil); loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board and construction paper; pencil boxes and other school supply boxes; pencil sharpeners; pencils; pens; protractors; reference books; reference maps and globes; rulers; scissors; sheet music; sketch and drawing pads; textbooks; workbooks and writing tablets.

While school supplies are not included, Maryland residents will find qualifying apparel and footwear that cost $100 or less are exempt from the Maryland 6% sales tax. Accessory items are not included in Shop Maryland week. Items that will be tax free for the week include Clothing under $100, including school uniforms, coats, bathing suits, pajamas, costumes, belts, shirts, sweaters, jeans, and slacks, misc. tuxedos, prom dresses, bridal gowns, hand muffs, graduation caps and gowns, baby clothes, disposable and cloth baby diapers, winter gloves and hats, sports uniforms and ski suits and vests.

For more information, visit the Virginia Department of Taxation, www.tax.virginia.gov and www.marylandtaxes.com.