Tax free weekends, commonly referred to as tax holidays, can help us to easily save lots of money on the things that we need.
During the course of these weekends, sales taxes are completely waived on specific items, commonly school supplies, to help to incentivize people to spend money, to help to stimulate the economy.
Not every state in America has a tax free weekend that residents can rely on, and when tax free weekends occur can vary massively from state to state, as this is decided by local governments.
As such, you may be wondering when the next tax free weekend is scheduled to occur in your local state or jurisdiction.
Do you live in the state of Massachusetts and want to know when the next tax free weekend is? Then make sure to read on down below, because we have the answers that you have been searching for!
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When Is Tax Free Weekend In MA?
Tax free weekend in the state of Michigan is scheduled to occur on the weekend from the 13th of August through to the 14th of August.
Generally, tax free weekends tend to occur towards the start of August every year. Massachusetts tends to have its tax free weekends towards the second weekend of August.
All states that take part in tax free weekends are actually required, by law, to make clear which days they will be having their tax free weekends by June the 15th of each year.
Why Do Tax Free Weekends Occur?
The main reason that tax free weekends tend to happen in America is to stimulate the economy by incentivizing people to spend more money, and by offering immense discounts on sales tax for essential items.
Tax free weekends tend to occur very close to important holidays or important dates in the calendar.
Most frequently, they tend to apply to school supplies, technology, and clothing, essential items for children approaching their next semester at school. This is why most tax free weekends tend to occur in the summer months.
What Does Tax Free Weekend In MA Cover?
Unlike most other states that tend to focus on discounting sales tax on essential school items, the state of Massachusetts actually has discounts on all products that would usually be subject to sales tax, making Massachusetts a very lucrative state during its tax free weekend.
However, the sales tax discount only applies to purchases less than $2,500 in value. Purchases over this value may still be subject to sales tax.
Who Decides When Tax Free Weekends Occur?
Tax free weekends are decided entirely by local governments. The first tax free weekends in the United States occurred in New York in 1996.
In that first year, many local governments in New York City refused to take part, but over the preceding years, many of them began to implement tax free weekends of their own to stimulate the economy of the city.
Nowadays around 13 states currently have annual tax free weekends that occur regularly. Tax free weekends are entirely optional for all states, thus not all states have adopted them.
Can Tax Free Weekends Help You To Save Money?
Yes. Tax free weekends can help you to save money, especially within the state of Massachusetts. Research has found that shoppers tend to buy 49% more products on tax free weekends than any other time of the year.
Considering that tax free weekends apply to all items covered by sales tax in Massachusetts, it is possible to save a massive amount of money on things you might ordinarily buy at any other time of the year.
However, it is important to consider that tax free weekends and the allure of saving money on everyday items can often cause many people to spend more money than they should.
We may believe that we need to purchase something just because it is discounted when really we have no need for them, or would never otherwise purchase them any other time.
This means that many people are often led to spending more during a holiday that is designed to help them to spend less.
Tax free weekends like those in Massachusetts can also end up costing you more money because of the need to travel to each store.
Drawn by the allure of saving money at different stores, you may drive your car much more, which would require you to fill up your tank with gas more than you may otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Amazon Participate In Tax-Free Weekend?
Provided you are located in a state where there is currently a tax free weekend, and that you are purchasing an item that is eligible for a sales tax exemption, then yes Amazon does participate in tax-free weekends!
What Is Included In Tax-Free Weekend In Massachusetts?
Unlike many other states across America, Massachusetts actually offers a sales tax exemption on tax free weekends on all items under $2,500 in value.
What Is Sales Tax In Massachusetts?
The general sales tax is 6.25% of the value of the item that has been purchased or rented. This makes it quite a significant extra charge.
To Wrap Up
We hope that this article has proven to be not only useful but also quite enlightening. If you live in the state of Massachusetts you should expect tax free weekend to fall on the 2nd weekend of August.
Make sure to consider what you plan to purchase over the course of the tax free weekend, as without careful consideration you may find yourself actually spending more money than usual buying things you do not need or want, simply because of the allure of a discount.
Unlike most other states, Massachusetts offers sales tax discounts on all items that would usually be subject to the tax, meaning that you can save a lot of money.
However, this also means that most stores will be heavily packed, making it difficult to find the things that you may want a discount on.
