By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-856392.mp3
Dallas, TX –
This is Tax Free Weekend in Texas. KERA's BJ Austin says it's the 11th year for the annual sales tax holiday that includes a bigger list of tax exempt items this year.
Clothes, shoes and other items of clothing priced under 100 dollars are tax exempt this weekend, and for the first time "school supplies" -- including binders and backpacks -- are included.
At a Dallas Target, reaction to the tax holiday was mixed.
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Shoppers: It's just for us actually, cause I have a 2 year old. There's too many people. Too many people, too big a crowd, yeah. I like it. Save money that way.
The weekend break on state and local taxes is the equivalent of an 8 percent discount. Senator Rodney Ellis, of Houston, who wrote the original Tax Free Weekend bill in 1999 says low income families NEED that tax break.
Some states cancelled their tax free weekend this year, including Florida and Illinois. State comptroller Susan Combs calculates Texans will save nearly 66 million dollars on taxes this weekend. Combs says families typically spend about 500 dollars each year on "back to school" purchases.