Ohio sales tax holiday grows to 10 days

(The Center Square) — Parents and students get an extended tax break this summer as the state’s annual tax-free holiday grows from three to 10 days.

The new tax-free rules not only expand the timeline but also allow tax-free purchases made in person or online on eligible items up to $500. The previous tax holidays lasted three days and included only school-related items, with a limit of $75 for clothing and $20 for instructional material or school supplies.

In years past, parents generally saved $8 on every $100 spent.

The holiday begins at midnight July 30 and lasts until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 8.

“Ohio’s sales tax holiday, historically, has been meant to help families buy clothing and school supplies for the upcoming school year,” DeWine said. “This expanded sales tax break will help Ohio’s families with back-to-school necessities as well as other substantial purchases during a time when so many household budgets are being strained.”

Most items this year are eligible for tax exemption, except the purchase of watercraft, outboard motors, motor vehicles, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, vapor products, or any item that contains marijuana.

The Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, also called the holidays discriminatory, with little economic justification for why something should be tax-exempt at different times.

“Shifting purchases to a particular weekend is no more beneficial to the economy, all else being equal, than purchases that may occur at a different time of year,” the group said in a 2023 report . “Additionally, some consumers may be unable to shop during the sales tax holiday because they are working, out of town, or between paychecks — situations that do not make anyone less deserving of tax relief.”