BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN)– Tax-free weekend is here and stores around the Valley will be participating.

The back-to-school period can be a brutal one on finances. If you’ve been holding off on your back-to-school shopping, now’s the time to do it. Ohio’s sales tax holiday starts Friday and runs through the end of the day Sunday.

Tax-free weekends are available on a state-by-state basis, with only 18 states having them.
While many places like the Southern Park Mall will be offering up deals all weekend at its stores, the tax-free weekend also applies to online shopping. There is no limit on how much you can buy this weekend, but the qualification is determined item by item.

During the holiday, the items that qualify for the sales tax holiday include any item of clothing priced at $75 or less; any item of school supplies priced at $20 or less; and any item of school instructional material priced at $20 or less.

“Which covers everything in our store,” said Matt McClure, owner of Youngstown Clothing Store at the Southern Park Mall. “If Uncle Sam is going to give you a break, personally, this is when I would do some clothes shopping. But any time he’s willing to give a break and you can save that money, I think is a perfect time to do it.”

Some items that are not included in the tax-free weekend include cosmetics, hair accessories, handbags and jewelry. But what happens in the event you want to exchange an item you bought during the tax-free weekend or if you have coupons or discounts?

If you buy an item during the tax-free weekend and it was not taxed, you can later exchange it for the same item in a different size or color, and not be charged sales tax even if the exchange is made after the end of the sales tax holiday. But, if you return an item after the tax-free holiday weekend for store credit the retailer must charge sales tax on the sale of the newly purchased item, even if it would have been eligible for the exemption during the sales tax holiday.

In terms of coupons and discounts, if a retailer offers a discount to reduce the price of an eligible item like school supplies to $20 or less, or a clothing item to $75 or less, it will qualify for the tax-free exemption.

Lots of stores here in the Valley, and right here at the Southern Park Mall will be participating in a tax-free weekend.

Stores like Maurices will be offering deals for shoppers in-person and online.

“We’ve got dresses for $15, backpacks for $15, joggers for $15. All of our girls denim in the Evsie line, which is the name of our new girls line, is $18 this weekend. So, you can really stock up on those jeans,” said Danielle Marie, with Maurices.