Back-to-school shopping gets a little less expensive this weekend with the opening of Ohio’s sales tax free holiday window.
Retailers exempt sales tax on back-to-school clothing and supplies beginning midnight Friday, Aug. 3, through 11.59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5. (EXAMINER PHOTO | NATE SMITH)
Beginning midnight Friday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, clothing items priced $75 or less, as well as school supplies and instructional materials priced $20 or less will be exempt from state sales tax.
The tax exemption applies to parents’ back-to-school shopping for their kids, and for teachers stocking their classrooms. It also extends to baby clothing and office materials for both in-person and online purchases made during the qualifying period.
There is no limit to the overall cost of the goods purchased, as limits apply to specific items, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation.
An important distinction is that sports and recreational equipment is not considered clothing, and is not tax exempt during this weekend.
The restriction includes accessories like mouth guards and gloves, as well as cleated or spiked athletic shoes.
“Clothing” is defined as all human wearing apparel suitable for general use.
“Clothing” includes, but is not limited to, shirts; blouses; sweaters; pants; shorts; skirts; dresses; uniforms (athletic and nonathletic); shoes and shoe laces; insoles for shoes; sneakers; sandals; boots; overshoes; slippers; steeltoed shoes; underwear; socks and stockings; hosiery; pantyhose; footlets; coats and jackets; rainwear; gloves and mittens for general use; hats and caps; ear muffs; belts and suspenders; neckties; scarves; aprons (household and shop); lab coats; athletic supporters; bathing suits and caps; beach capes and coats; costumes; baby receiving blankets; diapers, children and adult, including disposable diapers; rubber pants; garters and garter belts; girdles; formal wear; and wedding apparel.
“School supplies” include only the following items: binders; book bags; calculators; cellophane tape; blackboard chalk; compasses; composition books; crayons; erasers; folders (expandable, pocket, plastic and manila); glue, paste and paste sticks; highlighters; index cards; index card boxes; legal pads; lunch boxes; markers; notebooks; paper; 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; rulers; scissors; and writing tablets.
Items not included in this list are taxable.
“School supplies” does not include any item purchased for use in a trade or business.
Sewing supplies such as knitting needles, patterns and fabrics do not qualify.
School instructional materials are defined by the state tax department as, “reference books, reference maps and globes, textbooks and workbooks.”
Logan County residents pay a 7.25 percent sales tax between applicable state and local taxes, meaning shoppers will save $7.25 for every $100 spent this weekend.
Read complete story in Wednesday’s Examiner.
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