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    tax free weekend guide

    Get these back-to-school essentials during Texas tax-free weekend 2024

    Amber Heckler
    Aug 5, 2024 | 11:46 am
    Back to school shopping, Texas tax free weekend 2024

    Texas' tax-free weekend falls on August 9-11 in 2024, with big discounts for back-to-school shoppers.

    Getty Images

    Shoppers can strategically save on many back-to-school items during Texas annual "sales tax holiday," which falls on the weekend of August 9-11 in 2024.

    The statewide tax-free weekend helps ease the financial burden on families by allowing shoppers to save $8 for every $100 spent on qualifying items – such as school supplies, backpacks, and certain clothing items – for the upcoming academic year. These purchases can be made in store, online, through the mail, and via custom order as long as they take place between August 9-11. As a note, any rain checks given during the tax-free weekend won't qualify an item for a future tax exemption.

    Qualifying school supplies
    The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts provides a specific list of school supplies that are tax free during the weekend, but they have to be priced at under $100 (most are, as long as the customer not buying in bulk).

    The school supplies that qualify for the tax exemption are:

    • Binders
    • Blackboard chalk
    • Book bags and lunch boxes
    • Calculators
    • Cellophane tape
    • Compasses, protractors, and rulers
    • Composition books, legal pads, and notebooks
    • Folders – including expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila folders
    • Glue, paste, and glue sticks
    • Index cards and index card boxes
    • Paper – including loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, construction paper, and poster board
    • Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes
    • Scissors
    • Writing utensils – including pencils, pencil sharpeners, pens, highlighters, markers, dry erase markers, crayons, and erasers
    • Writing tablets
    School supply kits also exempt from tax, and while there is no limit on the number of school supplies in kits, certain kits that contain both taxable and tax-free items will have a taxability that depends on the value of the items. According to the Texas Comptroller, if the value of the exempt items is worth more than the taxable items, the kit will be tax free. However, if the value of the taxable items comes out to more than the exempt items, then the kit will be taxed.

    Clothing, footwear, and other qualifying items
    When it comes to clothing, footwear, and other items, the Texas Comptroller has a detailed guide that shows both qualifying and nonqualifying items. In a nutshell, most footwear and clothing items that are sold for less than $100 are exempt from tax, with no limit on the number of qualifying items as long as they ring up for under $100.

    Other items that are eligible for a tax exemption include cloth and disposable fabric face masks, including those which are sold with a filter. Student backpacks that are sold for less than $100, including backpacks with wheels and messenger bags, are also exempt. However, if a shopper is purchasing more than 10 backpacks tax-free at one time, they will have to present the seller with an exemption certificate.

    Nonqualifying items
    Clothing subscription boxes, cleaning services, embroidery services, alterations, and clothing and footwear rentals do NOT qualify for a tax exemption. Other taxable fashion items include accessories like jewelry, handbags, umbrellas, watches, wallets, and more; fabric, thread, zippers, buttons, and other items that are typically used to repair clothing; and baggage items like framed backpacks, luggage, briefcases, purses, and athletic/gym bags.

    Additionally, most sports shoes and gear are not eligible for a tax exemption, such as cleats, shoulder pads, dance shoes, helmets, shin guards, and others.

    Miscellaneous items that are not exempt during the sales tax holiday include industrial or medical grade face masks (such as N95s or others that are primarily used as PPE), replacement face mask filters, computers, computer bags, software, textbooks, any unspecified school supplies that are not on the exemption list above, among others.

    Online purchases during tax-free weekend
    For customers who purchase their qualifying items online rather than in-store, the Texas Comptroller says a seller's delivery, shipping, handling, and transportation charges are part of an item's sale price. An example provided by the Comptroller's website is as follows: "You buy a pair of jeans for $95 with a $10 delivery charge for a total price of $105. Because the jeans’ total price is more than $100, tax is due on the entire $105 price."

    If customers buy a tax-exempt item between August 9-11 and are still taxed, they would need to request a refund from the seller on the tax paid for the item. The seller can grant the refund to the buyer, or provide them with Form 00-985, Assignment to Right to Refund, which would allow the customer to file a claim for their refund through the Comptroller's website.

    More information about tax-free weekend can be found on the Texas Comptroller's website.

    texastaxesback to schoolshopping
    news/city-life
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    Animal News

    Advocates find false info being fed to Texas legislators on pet store law

    Teresa Gubbins
    May 8, 2025 | 10:30 am
    Puppy mill dogs do not have a great life.
    Puppy mill dogs do not have a great life.
    undefined

    A national pet store chain has been implicated in a dishonest campaign to try and influence Texas lawmakers on an upcoming bill making its way through the legislature.

    The pet store chain is Petland, and they're engaged in a battle against The Ethical Pet Sale Bill (SB 1652 / HB 3458), which would encourage pet stores to stop selling at-risk animals from puppy mills and support shelters and rescue groups instead.

    The Ethical Pet Sale bill has support from rescue and animal groups across Texas, who are all grappling with a glut of animals on the streets and in overcrowded shelters. That pet overpopulation problem gets even worse when pet stores import more animals from puppy mills in states like Missouri and Ohio.

    If Texas passes the bill, it will join a growing number of states and cities who've already passed similar laws including Dallas, Austin, Bryan, College Station, El Paso, Euless, Fort Worth, Houston, New Braunfels, Pasadena, San Antonio, The Colony, Sherman, and Waco.

    Most reputable pet store chains such as PetSmart and PetCo do not sell cats and dogs. Petland does. The company operates 84 stores in the U.S., and fights bills like this by hiring lobbyists to discourage legislators from supporting these bills.

    Phony list
    In this case, a two-page summary was distributed to some Texas state senators listing reasons why they should oppose SB ("The evidence from other states, especially California, demonstrates that these types of bans do more harm than good"), plus a list of organizations that are opposed.

    Most of the organizations opposed to the bill profit directly from animals, such as Petland and Puppy Dreams, a North Texas chain that also sells animals.

    But the list also had surprising names including PetSmart, PetCo, and Pet Supplies Plus — the three largest pet store chains who all have a history of supporting adoption of shelter animals.

    Their presence on the list caught the eye of animal advocacy groups such as Texas Humane Legislation Network and Humane World For Animals, who've worked with the big three in the past.

    "We became aware of Petland Inc.’s lobbyist apparently sharing the attached document with legislators, claiming the listed pet and pet product industry leaders are opposing this legislation," said a spokesperson from Humane World of Animals (HWA). "We checked in with contacts at Petco, Petsmart, and the American Pet Products Association, and all of them deny opposing this legislation or giving Petland permission to list them on this opposition letter. It’s very possible others listed in this letter also did not give their permission to be included — we only connected with the those listed above at this stage."

    CultureMap also contacted the three major pet store chains and received similar responses that they had not been consulted nor did they issue a rejection of the bill, although none wanted to be quoted.

    The misrepresentation is concerning because it muddies the water with false information at a time when the bill is still under consideration:

    HB 3458 — the version going through the Texas House — passed a House Committee with a 10-1 vote and has been moved up the chain towards passage.

    SB 1652 — the version going through the Senate — still needs to get through the Senate Committee, Calendars, and a floor vote.

    "By creating a false narrative about the position of the above industry leaders, this letter has the potential to sway lawmakers at a critical juncture in the legislation’s journey," the HWA spokesperson says.

    Two Petland stores in the Dallas area — in Frisco and Tyler — have been the subject of undercover investigations. Petland Webster recently settled a lawsuit with several families that the store allegedly sold sick puppies to, and several lawsuits have been filed against Petland Woodlands in Texas, claiming the store sold sick puppies. One pet owner told the House Committee that he'd spent $20,000 on medical care of a puppy he bought at a pet store.

    "Banning the retail sale of puppies and kittens is a common-sense solution to protect both animals and Texas consumers," said Dean Senator Judith Zaffirini of Laredo, who filed the bill. "My SB 1652 would help reduce pet overpopulation, promote responsible breeding practices and prevent families from unknowingly purchasing sick animals. With varying local ordinances in place and further action at the city level now restricted, it is important for the state to provide a clear and consistent approach that prioritizes both animal welfare and consumer protection."

    politicsanimals
    news/city-life

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