You won’t have to pay sales taxes on a number of items this weekend as Virginia brings back its annual sales tax holiday.
The holiday typically happens as you go to buy back-to-school supplies in the summer.
State lawmakers failed to put it into the budget, but reinstated it for October 20 to 22 when the General Assembly approved amendments to the state’s two-year budget in September.
While you can still stock up on your kids’ school supplies, you don’t have to focus on those things.
According to the Virginia Department of Taxation, sales taxes will be exempt on the following items:
- School supplies, clothing, and shoes. The school supplies need to be $20 or less per item, and the clothing and footwear need to be $100 or less per item. Things like handbags, jewelry, wallets, and watches are not eligible. And sports and recreational items, such as mouth guards and ballet shoes, do not qualify.
- Hurricane and emergency preparedness items. A portable generator (up to $1,000) qualifies, as do gas-powered chainsaws ($350 or less), chainsaw accessories of $60 or less, and other items you would use to prepare for a hurricane, such as batteries, flashlights, and bottled water.
- Energy Star and WaterSense products. If you need a dehumidifier, dishwasher, or toilet and it is Energy Star- or WaterSense-rated, you won’t have to pay state sales tax. Items must cost $2,500 or less.
The sales tax exemption applies whether you buy the items in person or online. In Northern Virginia, the sales tax rate is 6 percent. In other areas of the state, it is as low as 5.3 percent or as high as 7 percent.
Next year’s sales tax holiday will return in August 2024.
Feature image, Jorge Elizaquibel/stock.adobe.com
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