TOPEKA – Shoppers’ wallets could get a break in time for back to school shopping under a sales tax holiday proposal that a House committee is discussing today.
House Bill 2328 would exempt items sold between the first Thursday in August until midnight the following Sunday. The hearing is in the House Taxation Committee.
The exemption would apply to:
Clothing and accessories worth $300 or less;
Equipment with a taxable value of $300 or less;
School, art and instructional supplies totaling $100 or less per purchase.
Computer software with taxable value of $300 or less;
Computers or school computer supplies up to $2,000.
The state Budget Division estimates the holiday could decrease state money $5.7 million in the next budget year, which begins July 1.
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia had sales tax holidays in 2008, according the Federation of Tax Administrators. Kansas neighbors Missouri, Oklahoma and Iowa were among those offering a temporary sales tax reprieve.