Shop sales tax-free first weekend in August

Alabama shoppers can expect to find back to school deals the first weekend of August. The eighth annual sales tax holiday will take place from Aug. 2-4.

The City of Mountain Brook and surrounding communities will once again participate in this weekend of discounts on a variety school supplies, computers and clothing.

Hoover, Homewood, Birmingham, Vestavia Hills, Chelsea, Shelby County and Jefferson County are also taking part in the state-wide holiday.

There are a few general price rules for the holiday. Tax-free clothing items must cost less than $100 each, general school supplies must cost less than $50 each, and computers/educational computer software purchases can add up to no more than $750. Educational books under $30 will be tax-free, as will school required textbooks between the $30-$50 range.

A few guidelines to keep in mind about what is not tax-free: For non-clothing items, the purchase must have some educational value; recreational video games and/or computer software will not be on sale. Clothing that will not be tax-free includes various accessories, such as belt buckles sold separately, costume masks, patches/emblems and more.

For more visit revenue.alabama.gov/salestax/SalesTaxHol.cfm.