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KANSAS CITY, Mo — Free sales tax weekend in Missouri is well underway, and many parents around the metro are taking advantage of the back-to-school deals. Families can easily knock off hundreds of dollars on school supplies, back-to-school outfits and electronics.
Steve Loe and his family are shopping for a new laptop for his son. He and his wife are putting their third child through college this year, and like years before, they hope to cash in during the tax-free weekend.
“It’s worth a trip. I mean, we’re about 30 minutes away, but we make the trip because of that,” Loe said. “Dorms, everything from room and board to all of the back-to-school supplies. .. it does add up. But it pays off in the end.”
At the checkout line, he is realizing just how much his 30-minute commute paid off. He shaved off $100 on a brand new MacBook Pro for his son to start college with.
A couple aisles down at Best Buy, the Bertoncino family is shopping for a new laptop, too. Samantha Bertoncino is heading off to college next week and needs reliable WiFi for virtual learning.
“When we had computers at home during school, the internet was really an issue,” Samantha said. “So it helped having a computer [with] working internet, that would be good.”
While sending their daughter off to college may bring some jitters, Tom Bertoncino said making sure Samantha has the essentials to thrive is stress relieving for the parents this weekend.
“Very beneficial. Computers can range anywhere from $500 to $1,500, and yeah, any amount of money I can save will certainly help out,” Tom said.
Tax exemptions will only apply to clothing, personal computers and school supplies. It is important to remember certain items must cost below a determined price range. For example, all personal computers must be under $1,500.
- Back-to-school clothing – any article having a taxable value of $100 or less
- School supplies – not to exceed $50 per purchase
- Computer & technology software – taxable value of $350 or less
- Personal laptops/computers – not to exceed $1,500
- Computer peripheral devices – not to exceed $1,500
- Graphing Calculators – not to exceed $150
Phyllis Jensen and her husband take their grandkids back-to-school shopping every year during the first weekend of August. She says just $25-$30 can make a big difference when they are shopping for grandkids in elementary school, high school and college.
“I’m almost sure I saved $45 today,” Jensen said.
For a list of cities, counties and districts not participating in the tax-free weekend, click here.