Sales-tax holiday on some items this weekend

Daily staff reports

It may be only the first weekend in August, but this might be the best weekend to stock up on back-to-school supplies.

From Friday to Sunday, there will be no tax on sales of many school supplies, clothes and shoes. The sales tax holiday was created by the General Assembly in 2006, according to the Virginia Department of Taxation's website.

Supplies exempted from sales tax must be $20 or less each, and include binders, bookbags, compasses, crayons, dictionaries, glue, lunch boxes, musical instruments and their accessories, notebooks, paints, paper, pens and pencils, scissors, textbooks and workbooks, according to the site.

Computers and computer supplies, such as printers and related accessories and personal digital assistants will still be taxed.

Exempted clothing must be $100 or less per item, and doesn't include sports equipment or shoes "designed primarily for athletic activity or protective use and not usually considered appropriate for everyday wear," according to the Department of Taxation website -- although golf-related clothing and leotards are included in apparel that will be tax-free.

Exempted items include aprons; bathing suits; baby bibs, clothes and blankets; belts; boots; clerical clothes; corsets; diapers; costumes; girdles; lab coats; pajamas; jeans; sneakers; and wedding apparel, the site says.