Sales Tax Holidays Bring Temporary Relief for Consumers, Headaches for Some Retailers

Yes, yes… I’m writing about sales taxes again. This time, however, it’s not about the Amazon vs. California battle or the general difficulties facing online sales taxation.

I know it’s still July, but kids and parents are already getting ready for the coming school year, which means a lot of shopping for clothing, books, computers and various other school supplies. Over the past decade or so, many states and cities have instituted “sales tax holidays” as a way to spur commerce and provide a little savings to their residents. And most of the states don’t require consumers to prove that non-clothing purchases are going to be used for school (how would you prove that, anyways?), which means it might be a great time for anybody to stock up on some of the non-children-related exempted items.