Senator Walley encourages citizens to take advantage of upcoming sales tax holidays

State Senator Page Walley (R-Bolivar) encouraged citizens to take advantage of Tennessee’s new and traditional upcoming sales tax holidays. Consistent with state lawmakers’ record of cutting taxes, this year the General Assembly approved a new sales tax holiday to eliminate the tax on groceries for the entire month of August. Lawmakers also continued Tennessee’s annual sales tax holiday on clothing, school supplies and computers, which will begin Friday, July 29, and run through Sunday, July 31. These tax cuts add to over $2 billion cut in taxes by Tennessee lawmakers since 2011.
Senator Walley says the new tax cut on groceries is intended to provide relief to Tennesseans amid rising inflation and food costs.
“The cost of living continues to rise due to historic inflation, and the need for groceries remains constant. Suspending the grocery tax is one way the state can provide direct relief to all Tennesseans,” said Walley. “I was happy to support this tax cut and encourage all citizens to take advantage of the financial savings it affords.”
The month-long grocery sales tax holiday in August applies to food and food ingredients. However, it does not include prepared food, alcohol, dietary supplements, tobacco or candy. The state will replace local revenue lost, so local governments’ budgets will not be affected by this tax reduction.
Tennessee’s traditional sales tax holiday weekend occurs before students go back to school each year and exempts sales tax on clothing items $100 or less, school and art supplies $100 or less, and computers for personal use that are $1,500 or less.
“The back-to-school sales tax holiday helps parents, students and teachers with expenses in preparation for the fall semester. Inflation has hit almost every area of the economy and families will no doubt see higher costs when shopping for back-to-school items this year. I am pleased we are continuing this holiday to provide even more relief to families. I hope all citizens will take advantage of this relief and also shop at local businesses to support jobs and our Tennessee small businesses,” added Walley.
In addition, Walley said legislation passed by the General Assembly this year provided a sales tax holiday on gun safes and safety devices.
The year-long holiday began on July 1, 2022 and ends on June 30, 2023 and helps encourage safe storage of firearms.
For more information about these sales tax holidays, visit www.tntaxholiday.com.