If you’re heading out the door during the next 72 hours with your school supplies list in hand, at least one organization wants you to think small when taking advantage of Alabama’s 2015 back-to-school sales tax holiday.
“This year, we’re urging people to buy at least some of their school clothes and supplies at small, locally-owned businesses,” Rosemary Elebash, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said.
Alabama’s 2015 three-day observance begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, and ends at midnight Sunday, Aug. 9. During that period, the state’s 4 percent sales tax is waived throughout the state as are the sales taxes levied by 304 cities and counties.
Shopping small, locally-owned businesses, she said, does far more than help friends and neighbors.
“You support the businesses that support our schools and charities and create jobs in our communities,” Elebash said.
NFIB/Alabama currently lists about 7,000 dues-paying members representing a cross section of the state’s economy.
Moreover, the national federation’s most recent monthly Small Business Economic Trends report indicated small-business optimism decreased four points in June, attributed primarily to weak spending and faltering expectations for improved business conditions.
Alabama’s Aug. 7-9 sales tax holiday, however, offers a prime opportunity to give small businesses a much-needed boost, Elebash said.
“When you combine the savings of the sales tax holiday with the usual back-to-school sales, it really puts people in the mood to shop, and that’s exactly what small businesses need right now,” she said, adding, “The sales tax holiday is going to help people get a bigger bang for their buck. The more we can do to encourage people to shop at small businesses, the more jobs we’ll save, and the faster our economy will rebound.
August 6, 2015
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