BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – Governor Patrick Morrisey held a press conference at the Tamarack in Beckley to highlight the upcoming West Virginia sales tax holiday, which exempts certain items from the state sale and use tax to help parents purchase school supplies.
“The cost of school supplies and new clothes really went up a lot, and a lot of families are struggling to make ends meet. As your governor, I want to do everything I can to help address that and put more hard-earned tax dollars back in your pocket,” Morrisey said.
The West Virginia sales tax holiday runs from August 1 to August 5, offering sales tax exemptions on certain items.
The state is estimating that the measure will cost $3.4 million in lost tax revenue. According to Morrisey, that money is not actually being lost. Instead, he says it is a way to put more money back in the pockets of West Virginians.
“Let’s see if we can get the word out enough that maybe it costs a lot more. That means more people are getting the benefit of the great holiday. This is your money, and you need to spend it the way you see fit,” he said. “I think that we need to make sure we’re always looking at keeping more money in your pockets.
Items exempt from the sales and use tax include certain clothing items with a purchase price of $125 or less, certain laptops and tablet computers that cost $500 or less, some school instruction materials that cost $20 or less, certain school supplies that cost less than $50, and certain pieces of sports equipment that cost less than $150.
