Sales tax holiday today and Saturday

The annual 2009 Louisiana Sales Tax Holiday takes place on Friday, August 7, and Saturday, August 8.  On these two days, most retail purchases will be exempt from the four-percent state sales tax, the Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) announced today.

The sales tax holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, August 7, and continues through midnight on Saturday, August 8. By state law, the holiday takes place each year on the first consecutive Friday and Saturday in August.

The sales tax exemption applies to the first $2,500 of the purchase price of most individual items of tangible personal property for non-business use. State sales tax is to be paid on that portion of the price - of any individual item - in excess of $2,500.

The exemption applies only to the four-percent state sales tax. It does not apply to sales taxes collected by parishes, towns, school boards, and other local taxing authorities. All retailers are required to participate by offering the tax exemption at the time of sale.

Sellers may take advantage of a special provision from LDR which offers a $25 credit to offset the cost of reprogramming their cash registers. Information about the credit is available in Revenue Information Bulletin No. 03-009.