Beginning Friday, parents will be able to purchase a myriad of school supplies without paying state sales tax throughout the state – some cities and counties, including Selma and Dallas County, have opted to waive local sales tax as well to give parents the biggest bang for their buck as they prepare for the school year to begin.

Dallas County Schools Superintendent Hattie Shelton noted that many parents hold out on shopping until the tax-free weekend, hoping to get all of the necessary supplies for the school year as cheap as possible.

“A lot of parents wait for this weekend,” Shelton said. “It’s a huge savings if you don’t have to pay those additional taxes.”

Among the items that will be tax exempt over the weekend are clothing items, including diapers and footwear, costing $100 or less, a variety of school supplies costing $50 or less, computers and computer equipment costing $750 or less and all books costing $30 or less.

“Tax-free weekend is an excellent time for families to prepare for the upcoming school year,” said Selma City Schools Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams. “From school uniforms to notebooks and paper, I encourage our community to take advantage of the savings.”

Certainly, there are other items which will not be tax exempt over the weekend, including non-educational video games, furniture, cosmetics, jewelry and other such items.

For Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sheryl Smedley, the weekend also offers an opportunity for shoppers to keep their back-to-school money in the community.

“It’s always an incentive for people to go ahead and buy school supplies because they can get them at a discount,” Smedley said. “Also, when you spend your money here, local, it stays local.”

Though both Selma and Dallas County have opted to waive local sales taxes for the weekend, Valley Grande Mayor Matt Dobbs said his city won’t be participating for two main reasons – most residents venture to Selma to do their back-to-school shopping and there is only one retail store, Dollar General, located in Valley Grande.

“The decision not to participate in the tax-free holiday is a no-brainer,” Dobbs said at a recent Valley Grande City Council meeting.

The discounts begin Friday morning and come to a close at midnight Sunday.

For more information on what items will be exempt from sales taxes over the weekend, visit alabamaretail.org/alabamasalestaxholidays.