Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday this weekend; Stuff the Bus online

This weekend, school supplies will cost a little bit less, during the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, held annually at the state level. The state and Cape Girardeau County will waive sales tax on qualifying purchases, as will the City of Jackson. Cape Girardeau city taxes will apply.

Bollinger County and Marble Hill, Missouri, have also elected not to participate, according to www.dor.mo.gov.

Purchases including clothing, school supplies, computers and other items are exempt from sales tax from Friday through Sunday.

“We are excited to again be participating in Missouri’s tax-free weekend, where we have the opportunity to invite shoppers in Jackson and from all over Cape Girardeau County to come out and enjoy savings,” Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs said in a news release. “Over the past 16 years, we have had consistently successful tax-free weekends. The holiday makes purchasing back-to-school supplies a little more affordable for our residents and those who drive to Jackson to shop.”

First offered in 2004, the tax-free weekend was made permanent in 2005, and the legislation automatically suspends the state’s 4.225% sales tax throughout the first weekend in August.

Qualifying purchases:

• Clothing — any article having a taxable value of $100 or less
• School supplies — not to exceed $50 per purchase
• Computer software — taxable value of $350 or less
• Personal computers — not to exceed $1,500
• Computer peripheral devices — not to exceed $1,500
• Graphing calculators — not to exceed $150

More information is available at the Missouri Department of Revenue’s website, www.dor.mo.gov/business/sales/taxholiday/school/faq.php.

Stuff the Bus

Also this weekend, Stuff the Bus will be held, albeit a little bit differently, said Elizabeth Shelton, executive director for the United Way of Southeast Missouri.

In addition to school supplies, an online fundraiser is seeking donations, Shelton said.

UWSEMO is partnering with KFVS12, Withers Broadcasting, The Salvation Army and Walmart to collect school supplies and donations to help families in the area who will not have the funds to purchase necessary items, Shelton said.

The Back to School Fair was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, and that means families who would typically have access to school supplies and other back-to-school necessities, don’t.

Rather than students and school buses in front of participating Walmart stores to collect items this weekend, Shelton said, donations should go to www.unitedwayofsemo.org/stuff-the-bus-fund, or may be mailed to United Way of Southeast Missouri, 1417D N. Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.

The Stuff the Bus Fund will remain open through the month of August.