Shop 'til You Drop-and Drop the Tax!

Back to school is right around the corner. These words are a welcome salve for parents, but yet strike fear into the hearts of school-aged kids. Regardless of which side of the fence you are on, this time of year spells one thing for sure—back to school SHOPPING! And Tennessee offers no better place to meet all your back to school shopping needs than right here in Pigeon Forge!

Now we all know how expensive clothes are these days and how expensive it is to keep up with school trends. So to be sure that you can afford to outfit your kids in style, you will want to take advantage of Tennessee’s Annual Sales Tax Holiday. This year’s tax-free holiday weekend begins at 12:01 am on Friday, August 5 and ends at 11:59 pm on Sunday, August 7.

Shopping is indeed hard work, and shopping with kids is even more exhausting. Make plans to spend the weekend shopping at the myriad of outlet malls and specialty stores in Pigeon Forge and then have the pleasure of returning to a rustic, inviting and comfortable mountain cabin in the evenings. That way you get necessities and luxury all in the same trip!

Here are the details about the sales tax holiday:

• Clothing with a purchase price of $100 or less per item is exempt from sales tax. Clothing items costing more than $100 or any clothing purchased for use by a trade or business is not exempt from tax.
• School supplies (including school art supplies) with a purchase price of $100 or less per item are exempt from sales tax. School supplies individually priced at more than $100 or items purchased for use by a trade or business are not exempt from tax.
• Computers with a purchase price of $1,500 or less, not for use in a trade or business, are exempt from tax. Laptop computers, if priced at $1,500 or less, also qualify.
• There is no requirement that purchases be made only for students. If an item is tax exempt, anyone may make the purchase tax–free.
• The holiday also includes purchases of qualified items sold via mail, telephone, e-mail or Internet if the customer orders and pays for the item and the retailer accepts the order during the holiday for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period.

For more information about the tax free holiday, please contact the Tennessee Department of Revenue online at www.tntaxholiday.com or at www.TN.gov/revenue.