Aug. 20--Once again, we have a sales tax holiday beginning today and ending Sunday: The three-day period every year saves you money because of state and local sales tax exemptions on certain items -- usually on clothes, but now also on many school supplies and materials.

Shoppers will be out in force to take advantage of this no-tax situation. We hope they will be courteous and considerate of others while cashing in on a great deal.

Shoppers could save $8 for every $100 they purchase. The sales tax holiday exempts items that are priced less than $100. And many stores will allow exempting of sales tax on items put in layaway.

Good news recently was HB 1801 passed in the 81st Legislature. This bill expanded the list of items exempted on the holiday. Now, shoppers can get a tax break on school supplies for elementary and secondary school students in addition to clothes, certain footwear and backpacks, as long as they are priced under $100.

These sales tax holidays help retail businesses pump up their sales. The exemptions serve as motivation for shoppers to get good deals, and they show up in numbers.

We urge shoppers to be civil with each other as well as retail store employees when searching for items that are tax exempted. See below some tips on how to get served better when dealing with a salesperson.

This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.

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Copyright (c) 2009, Victoria Advocate, Texas

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