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Virginia shoppers set to save as sales tax holiday returns this weekend

This article was reprinted with permission from Virginia Mercury

Virginia’s sales tax holiday begins on Friday and runs through Sunday, offering deals on qualifying school supplies, clothing and footwear sales tax. Certain emergency preparedness items also qualify.

The sales tax holiday starts Aug. 7 at 12:01 a.m. and ends Aug. 9 at 11:59 p.m., and could save consumers 5.3% to 7% on total costs. The Virginia Department of Taxation provides lists of items that qualify as sales tax-free during the holiday.

What items are eligible?

  • Qualified school supplies — $20 or less per item
  • Qualified clothing and footwear — $100 or less per item

Hurricane and emergency preparedness products

  • Portable generators — $1,000 or less per item
  • Gas-powered chain saws — $350 or less per item
  • Chain saw accessories — $60 or less per item
  • Other specified hurricane preparedness items — $60 or less per item

Energy Star and WaterSense products

Qualifying Energy Star™ or WaterSense™ products purchased for noncommercial home or personal use — $2,500 or less per item

Consumers nationwide spend an average of $293 on electronics, $250 on clothing and accessories, $174 on shoes and $146 on school supplies to prepare for their children to head back to class, according to a recent study by the National Retail Federation.

Breaking the silence around suicide: A Virginia mother shares thoughts on prevention

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and Betsy Stephenson, an Alexandria, Virginia, resident and a mother who lost her son to suicide, wants people to talk about it. "By not talking about suicide, we are not going to make it go away. In fact, I think that we could inadvertently give it a little more power than it deserves," she told WTOP. One of the things that Stephenson wants families to know is that people who are struggling can appear to be doing well. "You can be very high-functioning as a depressed person or an anxious person," she said. "You can be connected socially. You can be doing well at school or work. You can be making plans, smiling, laughing, engaged, but still be struggling deeply, you know, cosmically, inside."
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