OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s not August yet, but Oklahoma’s yearly tax-free weekend is already on the mind of one state lawmaker, who wants certain school supplies to become tax-exempt during that tax holiday.
2 News dug into the numbers and listened to an area nonprofit helping teachers and students.
“Listen, I'm a mom,” State Sen. Kristen Thompson (R-Edmond) told 2 News. “I've got three kids. So, getting all of them back to school in August is quite the investment.”
Thompson said it’s about time Oklahoma families get a break — specifically, a sales tax break when buying school supplies during each year’s back-to-school tax holiday. Right now, that only applies to articles of clothing or footwear costing less than $100.
“Why aren't we exempting pencils and paper and crayons and things like that?” she asked herself.
So, the lawmaker wrote Senate Bill 231, which would make other items tax-exempt that weekend — like athletic gear, basic school supplies like pencils or notebooks, art supplies, and even computer items.
She said this would be “good for families, good for kids,” adding that it’s “kind of a no-brainer.”
We wanted to learn more about how much money consumers save because of this tax holiday, so we asked the Oklahoma Tax Commission for some data. Ahead of the 2024 tax-free weekend, the OTC estimated Oklahomans would avoid over $8.4 million in sales taxes for the affected items.
“The teachers come to our facility they go through a typical shopping experience, selecting supplies specific to the needs of their students in classroom activities,” said Nancy Bolzle, executive director of the Pencil Box nonprofit.
But they don’t even have to pay, Bolzle told us.
However, often times, teachers have to buy supplies for their pupils.
82% of low-income students in Tulsa County don’t have the school supplies at home to complete homework, according to a 2022 Pencil Box survey.
“The sales tax exemption will help these families to be able to provide the supplies for their students,” Bolzle said.
If Thompson gets her way and SB231 becomes law, those items will become sales tax-exempt just in time for this year’s tax-free weekend.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
