I encourage families with back-to-school shopping on the horizon to take advantage of an opportunity that helps stretch their hard-earned money a little further. Ohio’s first-ever Sales Tax Holiday will take place Aug. 7 through Aug. 9 to help families save on clothes and supplies during the back-to-school season.

During the three-day sales tax holiday, the 5.75 percent state sales tax and all local sales taxes will be exluded from the purchase of clothing and footwear under $75 per item and school supplies and materials under $20 per item. If a consumer is inadvertently charged sales tax on exempt items, the retailer is responsible for providing a refund of the tax to the seller.

Many local retailers plan to offer additional discounts to allow customers to take advantage of the savings available both in-store and online. For example, an $80 pair of shoes with a 10 percent off coupon is $72 and is below the $75 threshold required to take advantage of the tax exemption. Any “buy one, get one free” deals totaling more than $75 on the value of the originally priced item do not qualify for the savings.

In 2013, I supported legislation which was introduced by State Senator Kevin Bacon (R-Columbus) to help families save money during the back-to-school season. The legislation equips consumers with greater buying power, increasing sales which benefit the entire Ohio economy. The Sales Tax Holiday is not expected to result in lost revenue for state and local governments. Shoppers are expected to buy more non-exempt products during the three-day tax holiday and purchases from out-of-state shoppers are expected to rise as residents of neighboring states take advantage of offers at Ohio retail locations.

As always, please feel free to contact my office by phone at (614) 466-8082 or by e-mail at Uecker@OhioSenate.gov with any questions, concerns or issues you believe that the Ohio Senate should be addressing.

A list of eligible Ohio Sales Tax Holiday items is available online at http://www.tax.ohio.gov/sales_and_use/salestaxholiday/holidayfaq.aspx.

Joe Uecker is the Ohio State Senator from the 14th District.

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By Senator Joe Uecker

Contributing Columnist