Maryland hosts the penultimate summer 2016 sales tax holiday this coming week.
Maryland's sales tax holiday is this week, offering some savings on clothing and shoe purchases.
The event in the Old Line State actually started today, Sunday, Aug. 14, at 12:01 a.m. It runs through midnight, Saturday, Aug. 20.
Back-to-school in name only: These late summer events held annually in more than a dozen states — there are/were 16 tax-free holidays and one tax-reduced period on the 2016 calendar — typically are promoted as back-to-school shopping periods.
In Maryland, however, school supplies bought this week are still taxable. Only certain items of clothing and footwear are tax-free for the next seven days.
But, hey, growing kids need new clothes for coming classes, so the back-to-school pitch still applies.
The Maryland Comptroller has posted a handy three-page list of items to help shoppers know what is and isn't taxable.
And if you prefer not to brave the crowds at your local mall or shopping center, Maryland specifically notes that qualifying online purchases are tax-free, too.
One more to come: Wait, you say, don't leave us hanging with your opening sentence timetable tease. If Maryland's tax holiday is the next-to-last one of the 2016 summer, which state wraps up this year's tax-free back-to-school shopping season?
That's Connecticut.
The Constitution State's week-long tax holiday starts the day after Maryland's ends. I'll post details of that event as it nears.
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