[August 05, 2011] Back-to-school tax holiday set for Saturday Tweet Aug 03, 2011 (The Sedalia Democrat - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Some area businesses are gearing up for a busy weekend as the annual back-to-school sales tax holiday goes into effect just after midnight on Friday. The weekend-long exemption from state and county sales tax -- the city of Sedalia does not participate in the tax holiday -- is limited to clothing having a taxable value of $100 or less, school supplies that do not exceed $50 per purchase, computer software with a taxable value of $350 or less, personal computers that do not exceed $3,500 and computer peripheral devices that do not exceed $3,500, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue website, dor.mo.gov. The holiday begins at midnight Friday and ends midnight Sunday. Shoppers in Sedalia usually pay 7.6 percent sales tax on purchases, with 5.225 percent sales tax rate in Pettis County. The state of Missouri has a sales tax rate of 4.225 percent. The holiday has proven a busy weekend for some area retailers, including Staples, at 3601 W. Broadway Blvd. Russ Hall, the store's assistant manager, said the store sees an annual uptick in foot traffic during the sales tax holiday, with shoppers buying a range of products, from backpacks and basic school supplies to big-ticket desktop and laptop computers and computer software. "(The holiday) drives our back-to-school season. It is really our busiest weekend leading up to the start of school," Hall said. "We definitely call in extra staff -- I get everyone I can." Pettis County Presiding Commissioner John Meehan called the holiday a boon to local merchants and consumers who have school-age children, and said the impact on county coffers was "negligible." "Once you add it all up, that could be a significant amount for those parents who have to purchase all those school supplies for their children. In today's economic times, that could be a significant savings for people that need it," Meehan said. Meehan added that the exemption of the 4.225 percent in state sales tax and the additional 1 percent of the county's share may act as an enticement for shoppers to spend their money locally, rather than driving out-of-town to do school supply and clothes shopping. "I think this ends up being a good thing for merchants and consumers," Meehan said. To see more of The Sedalia Democrat or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sedaliademocrat.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Sedalia Democrat, Sedalia, Mo. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]