Shoppers skip the sales tax

As a mother of five, Lorie Strother, 41, of Waynesboro, has become accustomed to the yearly back-to-school shopping ritual.
“I have three in school and two in college,” Strother said, as she paused from shopping for school supplies at Wal-Mart on Rosser Avenue. “I’ve gotten used to it. My oldest is 23, so I’ve been doing this for a while.”
For parents overwhelmed by high gas prices and the general dip in the economy, this weekend’s sales tax holiday might help to curb expenses associated with the new school year.
Shoppers will be exempt from sales tax on school supplies, clothing and footwear through today.
The 5-percent state and local sales tax will be lifted from school supplies priced $20 or less and clothing items priced $100 or less.
“It’ll help,” said June Powers, 56, of Verona. “It’s a challenge to be able to get what they need and still have a little extra for what they want.”
Powers browsed stationary aisles Saturday with soon-to-be first-grader Kristin Knight, 6, at Kmart on West Main Street.
While most parents did not feel that the tax break would greatly affect tight cash flows, they said it certainly wouldn’t hurt.
“It doesn’t make much of a difference,” said Amy Cash, 36, of Waynesboro, as she braved the Saturday crowds at Wal-Mart on Rosser Avenue. “But something is better than nothing. Anything is better than nothing. You have to take advantage. A few pennies saved is a few pennies off gas.”
Virginia offers two other tax-free holidays. Those shopping for hurricane and emergency preparedness items did not pay sales tax on May 25-31 and green-minded individuals will be saved from sales-tax when purchasing Energy Star products on Oct. 10-13.
The back-to-school tax holiday will be the third of its kind in Virginia since unanimously implemented by the General Assembly in 2006.
“We have to realize that it’s not going to get any better,” Cash said. The mother of two added, “You have to be financially savvy and you have to know how to pinch your pennies.”
A full list of tax-exempt items can be found on the Virginia Department of Taxation’s Web site.

On the Web:
http://tax.virginia.gov/site.cfm?alias=SchoolSuppliesandClothingHoliday