County joins the back-to-school sales tax holiday

The Cape Girardeau County Commission recently voted to participate in the statewide sales tax holiday from Aug. 4-6.

The state of Missouri has set aside that particular before-school-starts weekend to offer parents and teachers a break on sales tax to help consumers buy school supplies.

We commend the commission for opting into the holiday, and other local entities such as the city of Jackson.

The state’s sales tax rate is 4.225 percent on items intended for educational purposes, and that will be applied across Missouri. It’s always a big shopping weekend for parents and students, and stores often tack on even more sales that weekend. But other sales tax rates apply. Local entities have the choice whether to opt in, but even if they don’t, shoppers will get a savings from the state sales tax holiday.

Those who shop where local sales taxes also are dropped for the weekend, can sometimes save another 2 percent to 4 percent, depending on the area.

The weekend tax break is a financial benefit for shoppers, particularly for those who have children going to school. We hope everyone takes advantage of the statewide sales-tax holiday come August.