Taxpayers get a break this weekend in South Carolina

Shoppers get ready.

At 12:01 a.m. on Friday, the 6 percent state sales tax on most clothes, housewares items and school supplies will be temporarily lifted until Sunday at midnight.

“The purpose of the tax-free weekend is to give back-to-school shoppers a bit of relief when it comes to making their purchases every year to get ready for school,” said Lindsey Kueffner, the executive director of the South Carolina Retail Association.

Supplies such as pencils, pens, notebooks and book bags are tax free. So are computers and printers, but not their replacement parts.

“Computers are included in there because they’re considered a back-to-school item,” said Kueffner.

Housewares such as sheets, towels, pillows and shower curtains are also tax free, but the curtain rods, hooks and rings will be taxed. Mattresses and furniture will be taxed as well.

Those items are tax free because they could potentially be dorm furnishings for college students, Kueffner said.

Other dorm items such as refrigerators, bathroom accessories, cookware and alarm clocks aren’t included.

But corsets, corset laces, bras, bow ties, belt buckles, garter belts and panty hose will be tax free.

“It’s really a federal definition of what is considered clothing,” said Kueffner. “That’s why you see some stuff in there that you wouldn’t normally think of.”

Most clothes items such as socks and shoes, scarves and coats are included.

The Walking Company manager Michelle Gallagher said they expect to see an increase in sales during the weekend.

“We expect to bring a lot of locals in, they look forward to that all year round,” Gallagher said. “We plan on bringing on two or three more people to make sure everybody is accommodated. We anticipate the crowds, so if the crowds are going to be here we need to have the people on staff.”

Jewelry, watches, glasses and cosmetics don’t count. And neither do rental clothes, although tuxedos and wedding dresses are included as long as they’re purchased.

“It’s is one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year and it is probably second to Black Friday so it is a big, big deal to retailers,” said Kueffner. “It really is also the kickoff to the holiday shopping, as early as it sounds. This is the time that back-to-school sales start and from here on out it goes into holiday shopping.”

For a full list of of tax-free items, click here.

This story was originally published August 1, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Taxpayers get a break this weekend in South Carolina."