Sales tax holiday great for helping shoppers, merchants

Published 5:00 am Monday, July 27, 2009

With this coming Friday and Saturday’s sales tax holiday,Lincoln County shoppers have an opportunity to help themselves andtheir merchant neighbors.

Beginning Friday at 12:01 a.m. and ending at midnight Saturday,shoppers will be able to buy clothing and footwear and not have topay the state’s 7 percent sales tax. The price of a single itemmust be under $100, and non-clothing and footwear items are notexempt from the sales tax measure.

With school starting back in a few weeks, the sales tax holidaycomes at a perfect time for parents looking to outfit young onesfor their classroom return. And the tax-free weekend putsMississippi on par with some surrounding states that have hadsimilar holidays for years.

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The statewide event also offers a chance for increased shoppingtraffic for merchants looking to move merchandise in the difficulteconomy.

As with any purchasing decisions, we would encourage localshoppers to support their local merchants this upcomingweekend.

One argument for shopping locally is that the sales tax dollarscome back to the local governments to support street work, policeand fire protection and other municipal services. If shoppers arenot paying sales tax, obviously, those dollars will not be flowingback to their home communities.

Nevertheless, shopping at home during the sales tax holidayremains a great idea as it boost merchants friends’ businesses’bottom lines. And it keeps a few dollars in shoppers’ pockets,too.