NFIB WV State Director encourages residents to shop small businesses during sales tax holiday

CHARLESTON, W.Va. –West Virginia residents will soon be able to shop tax-free on certain items, and the National Federation of Independent Business is encouraging them to shop at small businesses.

The state’s annual sales tax holiday is scheduled to take place from midnight on Friday, August 1, through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 4. The holiday is intended to give families and students the opportunity to purchase essential items -such as clothing and school supplies- without paying state or local sales tax.

NFIB West Virginia State Director Gil White said that small businesses are the foundation of the state’s economy, and the sales tax holiday is a great way to encourage people to shop at local businesses, whether online or in-store.

He added that for every dollar spent at a local business, 67 cents stays within the community.

“That’s an amazing statistic and something that again reinforces the need and the continuation of small businesses throughout the state of West Virginia,” White said.

Items that would be exempt from sales tax include certain clothing where the purchase price is $125 or less, laptops or tablet computers purchased at $500 or less, school instructional material purchased $20 or less, school supplies purchased at $50 or less, and sports equipment purchased at $150 or less.

More specifically, eligible clothing items include, but are not limited to, blouses, bathing suits, formal wear, gloves and mittens, pants, and sneakers. Eligible school supplies include binders, book bags, highlighters, and rulers. For more information and a complete list of tax-exempt items, visit the West Virginia Tax Division website.

White said that this holiday serves as an incentive for customers to shop at small businesses and also gives residents an opportunity to show their support when they can.

“It’s a great support mechanism for these small business owners and shows them how important they are and how much we value their presence in our local communities,” White said.

He noted that these small businesses typically have fewer than 10 employees, making it even more important to support them.

“You can realize just looking at those numbers, this is a true economic factor that is very important to their bottom line so anything that we can do to help encourage and support our small business owners, we certainly want to do,” White said.

While there isn’t an official list identifying local small businesses, White said many will likely display signage indicating they are a small business

“I think most small business owners very proudly display their NFIB insignia,” he said.

Story by Morgan Pemberton, MetroNews