COLUMBIA, S.C. — This weekend is tax free weekend in South Carolina meaning you won’t be charged a sales tax on a variety of items.
During this annual tax holiday, many back-to-school items are exempt from the 6% sales tax in the state.
Many local businesses are taking advantage of this tax holiday in order to drive up business that has been down due to coronavirus.
Ed Albritton, co-owner of Ed’s Editions in West Columbia, is operating with the tax-exempt holiday, “Yesterday was a good day- we sold quite a bit yesterday and today has been pretty heavy.”
The independent book store that’s sat on the corner of Meeting and State St. has been around since 2001. Although at the beginning of the year they were set to have their best year yet- they- like many others, have felt the effects of COVID19, “Overall, I think we’ve had a pretty good year in spite of the coronavirus thing- that’s definitely affected our business.”
The store’s online sales are up almost 50% from last year, “A lot of people are definitely shopping online and we’ve had a smaller number of people come in during our opening hours.”
The Oops! Company in Five Points says the tax-free weekend is helping their sales as well, “I know people- me included- are more hesitant to go out because of everything that’s going on but hopefully, with everybody having a lot of sales and getting a little extra money off with taxes, I think it’s helping people come out a little more and they’re more willing to go out and spend their money," says sales associate Shannon McManus.
Shoppers are taking advantage of the clothes, accessories, even gifts that are eligible to be tax-free, “Sale wise, we’re having a 30% off sale so that along with tax-free weekend has really been a plus for us," Shannon adds.
The tax holiday, that according to the SC Department of Revenue saves shoppers between $2-$3 million dollars through the weekend, continues through Sunday and will hopefully give local business a boost in spite of the unprecedented year of sales.
If you plan on taking part in this tax-free weekend, the South Carolina Department of Revenue suggests you check to see if there is a mask ordinance, curfew or other guidelines in place for your community, and to practice social distancing and other CDC and SCDHEC recommended guidelines.