Businesses — and customers — frustrated by Ohio sales tax holiday

If you’re having issues with the sales tax holiday, scroll to the bottom of this article for help.
…

She’ll probably kill it.

Deborah Cowns said she could kill anything — even a plastic flower. That’s why she’s not a gardener. But that’s also why she’s at Bloomin’ Garden Centre in Blue Ash. To learn.

Because her friends at an assisted living facility are starting a gardening club.

On Thursday morning, Cowns ruffled through her shopping bag, trying to remember the name of what she bought.

“It’s a pretty purple plant,” she said. “And it can grow in my window.”

Cowns had no idea she didn’t pay any sales tax.

Keith BieryGolick

This week in Ohio — and most of next — is a sales tax holiday . That means almost everything you buy under $500 should not have a sales tax charge. But just like Cowns, the owner of this garden center in Blue Ash didn’t know that, either.

“Everybody was caught flat-footed,” said Chris McKeown, whose family has run this business for 32 years. “Nobody I spoke to that day was aware that their business was included in that.”

Ultimately, it meant his customers didn’t get a discount on Tuesday, the first day of the tax holiday. Because removing sales tax from a credit card machine is not as simple as pushing a button.

“We do plants,” McKeown said. “We don’t do computers.”

McKeown took over sole ownership of the Bloomin’ Garden Center after his dad died. He said he’s worked in the landscaping business since he was a teenager. And for him, it’s the customers that make it possible. That makes it worth it.

That’s why he reached out to WCPO. He was frustrated. And he wasn’t the only one.

Keith BieryGolick

The idea for the expanded tax holiday sounds great, but WCPO viewers tell us businesses aren’t aware of the changes. Email after email came into the newsroom this week from viewers who said they bought something that should have been tax-free.

Some struggled to get refunds.

We took those concerns to the Ohio Department of Taxation. A spokeswoman told us complying with the tax holiday is a law, not a suggestion.

Businesses could even face penalties for not following it, according to Anne Cordial Harkin, chief of communications for the tax department. Harkin did not directly answer a question about whether she was surprised people told WCPO they weren’t informed of the changes in the law. She said the changes were promoted on the tax department's social media accounts.

In Blue Ash, McKeown had fixed issues at his garden center by Thursday. He’d also added to the marquee sign out front:

“SALES TAX HOLIDAY INCLUDES PLANTS THIS YEAR!”

NEED MORE HELP?

This year, the sales tax holiday runs until midnight on Aug. 8.

We used to think tax-free weekends meant school supplies. But changes in state law mean more of what you buy should get you free sales tax. This year, it means almost everything except alcohol and tobacco that costs less than $500 — including eating out at restaurants.

If you were wrongly charged, there’s a form on the tax department’s website where you can request a refund. Find it by clicking on “forms” in the top right corner and searching “star." If you’re having issues, tax department officials say you can call this number to speak to a representative: 1-888-405-4039.

More information can be found in an FAQ here .