Two lucky students will get something extra this Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week: a scholarship.
For the third straight year, the Maryland Retailers Association is holding a contest for a $2,500 scholarship. This year, the University System of Maryland Foundation said it will match that amount if the winning student is enrolled in one of its member institutions, meaning a student could potentially win $5,000.
A news release from the Maryland Comptroller’s office said that individual institutions can also decide to add more money to this prize, meaning the scholarship could get even greater.
“The University System of Maryland is pleased to support this year’s Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, which is an important and effective way that Maryland students and families can stretch their back-to-school dollars,” said USM Chancellor Robert L. Caret in a statement.” We’re happy to do our part to support this important effort by Comptroller Peter Franchot and the MRA.”
To enter, students must take a photo or video of them shopping during tax-free week, and post it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with a clever caption and the hashtag #shopmdtaxfree. They have until tax-free week ends on August 17th.
A prize of $1,000 will also be given to the runner-up.
Certain clothing and footwear that cost under $100 are tax-free during this week, as are backpacks that cost less than $40. Check out the full list of tax-exempt items.
