NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - South Carolina’s annual Tax Free Weekend starts Friday.
For 72 hours, shoppers can buy eligible items without paying Charleston’s nine-percent sales tax rate. And, it’s the perfect time to shop for back-to-school supplies.
Stores like Walmart have aisles and shelves stocked with back-to-school items that are discounted for Tax Free Weekend.
South Carolina’s first Tax Free Weekend was in 2005 and has been an annual event ever since. This year, it’s running today through Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
Not all items are exempt from sales tax, but things like computers, printers, clothes, school supplies, shoes and even musical instruments are included in the discount. All purchases on eligible items can be made either in store or online. This does not include rental items, cosmetics, eyeglasses, furniture, or jewelry.
This is just one way officials with the state say they can relieve some of the financial burdens that come with the back-to-school season.
“It is really intended to provide a little bit of relief as families are gearing up to go back to school. I know the state has really put some emphasis on not wanting children to go without really needed items for school,” South Carolina Retail Association Executive Director Krista Hinson said.
Hinson says the state’s Department of Revenue does a review every year to make sure they are picking the most important and most needed items to make tax-exempt.
For a more detailed list of tax-free items, visit https://dor.sc.gov/taxfreeweekend.
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