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Creation Of Sales Tax Holiday For School Supplies Moves Ahead

Flickr.com photo by Bloomington Salvation Army.
Flickr.com photo by Bloomington Salvation Army.

This week, the Ohio senate approved legislation that would set aside the first weekend of August 2015, for families doing back-to-school shopping to take advantage of a sales tax exemption. It covers school supplies and materials up to $20 per item, and clothes up to $75 per item.

The bill was penned by Republican State Senator Kevin Bacon who represents part of Franklin County around Columbus. He told WCPN last August he expected the sales tax exemption to create a “Black Friday” type of excitement that would benefit retailers…and help families.

"School and clothing supplies, it’s very expensive for a family to start off the school year," said Bacon. "And for many people, that expense really, really saps a lot of badly needed resources.”

The National Retail Federation says on average, families spent $670 on school supplies this year for grades K-12. A University of Cincinnati study estimated that Ohio’s sales tax exemption will save those same families $38.

The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk.