Back-to-school shopping may leave families waiting a little later than normal to get all their supplies bought, but if they do so, they will reap the benefits.
Beginning Friday and ending Aug. 15, the state of Illinois will forego its 5 percent portion of sales tax on back-to-school supplies. Local portions of sales tax still will be collected for those 10 days.
State officials estimate $800 million to $1.2 billion is spent on back-to-school supplies in Illinois.
The initiative is the first for Illinois. About 16 states have a time period for a state sales tax holiday this year, some lasting only two days and others at more than a week.
Most all traditional school supplies students need are eligible for the reduced sales tax rate — crayons, pens, pencils, paper, lunch boxes, pencil boxes, binders, rulers, erasers, tape, glue and more.
Clothing and footwear with a retail price less than $100 is also included, as well as coats, jackets, gloves, hats, underwear, school uniforms, sneakers, sandals, slippers, boots, steel-toed shoes and more.
Non-qualifying items include clothing accessories, such as hair items, watches, jewelry, umbrellas, briefcases and more.
Also not included are specific sports/recreational equipment such as mouth or shin guards, as well as athletic footwear.
Art supplies, instructional material, computers, computer supplies and electronics are non-qualifying items as well.
For a complete list, see http://tax.illinois.gov/salestaxholiday.htm.
While this is a good start for Illinois’ first state sales tax holiday, in the future the list should include computers and computer supplies. Using a computer is as vital as traditional school supplies for students as they continue through their education.
Calculator requirements, such as those in Morton District 709, also limit money-saving opportunities for parents who must buy a specific calculator. Relief on such items would be welcome for many families.
Additionally, assisting students and their families may give local businesses a boost to their bottom line during a sluggish economy.
Of course, shop Morton first for what items can be found locally.
