Tax Free Holiday This Weekend

Paying No Sales Tax Means Back To School Savings

by Tony Vindell/LFN

Get your vehicles or your feet ready and get to your favorite general merchandise store this weekend.

The annual sales tax holiday will start Friday, Aug. 9 and goes through midnight Sunday, Aug 11.

The initiative allows people to buy most clothing, footwear, backpacks and an array of school supplies without having to pay the sales tax of 8.25 percent on every dollar spent.

The state tax is 6.25 percent but the state allows a city to collect an additional 2 percent as most cities in Texas do today.

The holiday was implemented in 1999 to help parents save just before the start of a new school year.

It allows shoppers to save taxes on any single item worth up to $100 and it can be combined with other purchases.

For example, a pair of tennis shoes worth $60 and a back pack worth $20 equals $100, resulting in a net savings of $8.25.

Consumers can make purchases either in a store, online or from a catalog seller doing business in Texas.

The three-day shopping holiday applies to qualifying items such as clothing, footwear and backpacks.

Residents from La Feria and its surrounding areas will most likely shop for qualifying free sales tax merchandise at Rio Grande Valley

Premium Outlet Mall in Mercedes, in Weslaco, Harlingen and in McAllen this weekend.