Reminder: Shop tax free in Tennessee Aug. 6-8

Posted: Thursday, July 8, 2010 9:06 pm

NASHVILLE — The fifth annual Sales Tax Holi-day is scheduled for Aug. 6-8.
The Department of Rev-enue is reminding Tennes-see residents that during these three days of savings, shoppers can save almost 10 percent on tax-free clothing, school and art supplies and computer purchases.
“The annual Sales Tax Holiday was designed with Tennessee families in mind,” Gov. Phil Bredesen said. “The holiday provides much needed savings for all Tennessee shoppers and prepares children for success by making sure they start the first day of school properly equipped with items they need.”
The holiday begins Aug. 6 at 12:01 a.m. and ends Aug. 8 at 11:59 p.m. During the designated three-day weekend, consumers will not pay state or local sales tax on select clothing with a price of $100 or less per item, school and art supplies with a price of $100 or less per item and computers with a price of $1,500 or less.
“Last year’s tax-free weekend was extremely successful in giving back to Tennesseans, providing nearly $8 million in tax savings to Tennessee families,” said Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr. “We are hopeful that all Tennessee shoppers will enjoy the immediate relief of the 2010 Sales Tax Holiday.”
Visit the Sales Tax Holiday website at www.tntaxholiday.com to learn more about the items exempt from sales tax. The Tennessee Department of Revenue also assists consumers via e-mail, Salestax.Holiday@TN.gov and through its toll-free statewide telephone hot line, (800) 342-1003. Staff is available to answer questions Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Out-of-state and Nashville-area callers may dial (615) 253-0600.
In a continued effort to promote Tennessee’s sales tax holiday, the Department of Revenue has launched a new dedicated facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TNTaxHoliday.
Examples of exempt items include:
• Clothing: Shirts, dresses, pants, coats, gloves and mittens, hats and caps, hosiery, neckties, belts, sneakers, shoes, uniforms  — whether athletic or non-athletic — and scarves
• School supplies: Binders, book bags, calculators, tape, chalk, crayons, erasers, folders, glue, pens, pencils, lunch boxes, notebooks, paper, rulers and scissors
• Art Supplies: Clay and glazes; acrylic, tempera and oil paints; paintbrushes for artwork; sketch and drawing pads; and watercolors
• Computers: Central processing unit (CPU), along with various other components including monitor, keyboard, mouse, cables to connect components and preloaded software (Note: While the CPU may be purchased separately, other items must be part of a bundled computer package in order to be eligible.) iPad’s are eligible for tax exemption, video games and consoles are not.
The Department of Revenue is responsible for the administration of state tax laws and motor vehicle title and registration laws established by the legislature and the collection of taxes and fees associated with those laws. The Department of Revenue collects approximately 92 percent of total state tax revenue. During the 2009-10 fiscal year, the department collected $10.2 billion in state taxes and fees. In addition to collecting state taxes, $1.9 billion of local sales tax was collected by the department for local governments during the 2009-10 fiscal year. Besides collecting taxes, the department enforces the revenue laws fairly and impartially in an effort to encourage voluntary taxpayer compliance. The department also apportions revenue collections for distribution to the various state funds and local units of government. To learn more about the department, log on to www.TN.gov/revenue.
Published in The Messenger 7.8.10