2008 Georgia Sales Tax Holiday – July 31-August 3, 2008

I’ve had a number of readers contact me, asking for further updates about the Sales Tax Holiday for 2008. 

According to the Georgia Department of Revenue’s website,  Georgia House Bill 948 provides for a sales tax exemption from both state and local sales taxes for certain items purchased July 31 – August 3, 2008.

The Bill also provides an exemption for specific energy and water efficient products purchased October 2 –5, 2008, with information pertaining to that specific holiday being released at a later date.

During the sales tax holiday of July 31 through August 3, 2008, a sales tax exemption applies to purchases of tangible personal property in the following categories:

• Articles of Clothing. The exemption applies to articles of clothing and footwear with a sales price of $100 or less per item. Clothing accessories such as handbags, umbrellas, cuff links, handkerchiefs, jewelry, key cases, wallets, watches and watch bands, and ponytail holders and/or similar hair products are not exempt.  In other words, they’re taxable.  See link below of exempt items.
• Personal Computers. A single purchase of $1,500 or less of personal computers and/or related accessories is exempt. If the single purchase exceeds $1,500, the entire transaction is taxable. See link below for exempt items.
• General School Supplies. The exemption applies to the purchase of general school supplies with a sales price of $20 or less per item.  Exempt items are linked below.

All of these items are intended for personal use and are not for resale.  They do not include items purchased at theme parks, entertainment complexes, hotels, restaurants, or airports. 

For general information about the 2008 Sales Tax Holiday, please visit the Department of Revenue here.

You might also visit your child’s school website for a list of required supplies by grade-level.  Print it out and take it with you.  Many of the local office supply stores such as Office Depot, Target, or Staples also have lists there at their stores, supplied by local area schools for specific grade-levels as well as teachers.   For a printable list of tax-exempt school supplies, go here. 

For information about children’s books that are exempt, please follow this link.   After last year, when I had a question about a specific book I was trying to locate for my then 12yo daughter, and finding no one in any of the local stores who could verify that, yes or no, it was tax-exempt or not, I’m definitely printing that list out and taking it with me. 

Tax-exempt clothing and footwear may be printed out from this page.  Know before you get to the checkout lane whether or not your selections are taxable.  It can save you money. 

The single purchase of $1,500.00 or less of personal computers and personal computer related accessories for noncommercial home or personal use is exempt during the sales tax holiday. Computer related accessories include keyboards, monitors, other peripheral devices, personal digital assistant, modems for Internet and network access and non-recreational software.

Be very aware of the $1,500.00 limit on personal computers and software.  If your purchase exceeds that amount, even if only by a few cents, you’re liable for the sales taxes on the *entire* amount – not just the difference over and above the $1,500.00. 

For a printable list of exempt computers, software, and related accessories,  please check out this page.

Plan your shopping accordingly ahead of time.  Stores tend to be extremely busy during these days.  A little bit of foresight and planning can pay off not only in big savings, but also less hassle and frustrations.  

I did this last year, checking out recommendations for laptops, and plotted my shopping strategies accordingly.  By visiting major stores’ websites ahead of time and adding my email address to their email newsletters’ list, I received sales flyers *before* the sale dates and shopped at home. 

I found the laptop I wanted on sale at BestBuy.com, visited the local store’s website the night before to verify they had it listed in stock, went there first thing the next morning, and came back home in less than 90 minutes, the proud owner of a new laptop being set up and loaded by the Best Buy Geek Squad with software I had chosen.  I picked it up later that afternoon while others were still roaming around, making their choices.  This process also saved me over $98.00 in sales tax, not including the incentives that Best Buy offered in their promotional sales for laptop computers. 

For additional information and any other questions you may have, visit the Georgia Department of Revenue site.  I do not know if any of these tax-exempt lists pertain to online purchases or not.  That is a question that can be researched at the Revenue site or by contacting them at the Taxpayer Services Division at 404-417-6601 or taxpayer.services@dor.ga.gov .

Plan ahead – it’s worth your money *and* your time!