Alabama's annual back-to-school sales tax holiday returns July 17-19, giving Vestavia Hills families an opportunity to save on a variety of school-related purchases before the new school year begins.
The tax holiday starts at 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 17, and continues through midnight Sunday, July 19. Participating retailers throughout Vestavia Hills will offer qualifying items exempt from state sales tax. Local participation is available through the city's adoption of the tax holiday.
Eligible purchases include clothing priced at $156 or less per item, such as shirts, pants, dresses, shoes, school uniforms, jackets, socks and backpacks.
Shoppers can also purchase qualifying computers and computer software priced at $1,173 or less tax-free. Eligible computer-related school supplies include printers, printer ink and paper, computer storage media and personal digital assistants that are not cellular phones.
School supplies priced at $78 or less per item also qualify. Eligible items include notebooks, binders, calculators, crayons, markers, glue, folders, lunch boxes, pencils, pens, rulers, scissors, composition books and writing tablets. School art supplies, including paint, paintbrushes, clay and sketch pads, are also covered.
Books with an ISBN number priced at $47 or less qualify for the exemption, along with certain required textbooks costing more than $47 but less than $78.
The annual sales tax holiday is intended to help families reduce the cost of preparing students for the upcoming school year while encouraging residents to shop locally.
For more information about the tax holiday and participating communities, visit vhal.org.
