Representative Bohac Reminds Texas Families to Take Advantage of Texas’ Sales Tax Holiday August 8-10

HOUSTON, TX -- With the start of the school year only weeks away, State Representative Dwayne Bohac (R-Houston) reminds Texas families and shoppers to take advantage of our state's annual sales tax holiday this weekend, August 8-10.

"As we prepare our children for the upcoming school year and enjoy the last days of summer, I am encouraging all families and shoppers to take advantage of this money saving weekend and stock up," Rep. Bohac said.  "As a father, I appreciate the responsibility of equipping our children for success as they begin their school year and recognize the strain that this can cause on a family's budget.  The sales tax holiday will help families save almost 10 percent while getting the essentials for the school year."

The three day annual sales tax holiday exempts Texas shoppers from paying sales and use taxes on most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks priced under $100.  This will save shoppers roughly $8 on every $100 they spend.  Since the annual sales tax holiday was enacted in 1999, it has saved Texans roughly $862.1 million, with a projected savings of $82.7 million this year alone

In 2009, Rep. Bohac successfully authored HB 1801 that added most school supplies and backpacks to the list of exempted items during Texas’ annual sales tax holiday.  Since it was passed, the school supplies sales tax holiday is estimated to have saved Texas parents, students and teachers over $29 million on essential school supplies, with an expected $8 million more anticipated this year. 

Below are the lists of qualifying items exempt during the sales tax holiday, August 8-10.  (Please feel free to print it out and take it with you): 

List of qualifying school supplies (if priced less than $100)

•Binders

•Book bags

•Calculators

•Cellophane tape

•Blackboard chalk

•Compasses

•Composition books

•Crayons

•Erasers

•Folders; expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila

•Glue, paste and paste sticks

•Highlighters

•Index cards

•Index card boxes

•Legal pads

•Lunch boxes

•Markers (including dry erase markers)

•Notebooks

•Paper; loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board, and construction paper

•Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes

•Pencil sharpeners

•Pencils

•Pens

•Protractors

•Rulers

•Scissors

•Writing tablets

List of Qualifying Clothing, Footwear and Other Items (under $100) Sold During the Sales Tax Holiday

•Adult diapers

•Aprons (household)

•Athletic socks

•Baby bibs

•Baby clothes

•Baby diapers (cloth or disposable)

•Belts with attached buckles

•Blouses

•Boots (general purpose) 

•Bow ties

•Bowling shirts

•Bras

•Camp clothes

•Caps (baseball, fishing, golf)

•Chef uniforms

•Children’s novelty costumes

•Clerical vestments

•Coats and wraps

•Coveralls

•Diapers (cloth and disposable)

•Dresses

•Employee uniforms (unless rented)

•Fishing caps

•Fishing vests (non-flotation)

•Gloves (generally)

•Graduation caps and gowns

•Gym suits and uniforms

•Hats

•Hooded shirts and hooded sweatshirts

•Hosiery, including support hosiery

•Hunting vests

•Jackets

•Jeans

•Jogging apparel

•Knitted caps or hats

•Leg warmers

•Leotards and tights

•Mask, costume

•Neckwear and ties

•Nightgowns and nightshirts

•Painter pants

•Pajamas

•Pants

•Panty hose

•Raincoats and ponchos

•Rain hats

•Religious clothing

•Robes

•Scarves

•Scout uniforms

•Shawls and wraps

•Shirts

•Shirts (hooded)

•Shoes (generally) 

•Shorts

•Skirts

•Sleepwear, nightgowns, pajamas

•Slippers

•Slips

•Soccer socks

•Socks

•Suits, slacks, and jackets

•Support hosiery

•Suspenders

•Sweatshirts

•Sweat suits

•Sweaters

•Swimsuits

•Ties (neckties - all)

•Tights

•Trousers

•Underclothes

•Underpants

•Undershirts

•Uniforms (school, work, nurse, waitress, military, postal, police, fire)

•Veils

•Vests (generally) 

•Work clothes

•Work uniforms

•Workout clothes