The 2022- 2023 school year gets underway Aug. 1 for the four biggest districts in the El Paso area, and that means the kids are going to need classroom essentials and a new wardrobe or two sooner than later.

And because of the state’s annual Sales Tax Holiday, El Paso shoppers will again catch a break at the cash register on back-to-school items this year.

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From Friday, August 5 to Sunday, August 7, a sales tax will not be tacked onto your purchases of eligible items that sell for less than $100 each.

As in previous years, eligible items include most clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks. Not all merchandise, however, is exempt. Textbooks, computers, and software, for example, are not. On average, back-to-school shoppers will save approximately $8 for every $100 spent.

Layaways

Layaway plans can be used to take advantage of the savings as well, which is especially helpful this year since the school year starts before the tax-free weekend.

In order to take advantage of the tax exemption, the final payment on items previously placed on layaway must be made between August 6 - 8.

In other words, you put stuff on layaway now and pay it off over the Sales Tax Holiday weekend. Qualifying items can also be put on layaway that weekend and paid off later tax-free.

Purchases Do Not Have to be Made In-Person

Qualifying items can also be purchased tax-free online or by telephone if the item is both delivered and paid for during Tax-Free Weekend, or if ordered and paid for during the exemption period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period ends.

Keep in mind, though, that delivery, shipping, handling, and transportation charges are considered part of the total sales price and will determine if you can buy it tax-free.

Items That Qualify

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• Footwear, like sneakers, boots, sandals, slippers, and socks.

• Most clothing, such as jeans, shorts, shirts, blouses, sweatshirts, sweaters – even pajamas, robes, and nightshirts.

• School supplies: Crayons, erasers, glue, highlighters, markers, notebooks, loose-leaf ruled paper, pencils, pencil sharpeners, pens, and calculators.

The above is just a sampling. It’s a pretty long list. A breakdown of clothing items and footwear that are exempt can be found HERE, and a list of qualifying school supplies HERE.

See How School Cafeteria Meals Have Changed Over the Past 100 Years

Using government and news reports, Stacker has traced the history of cafeteria meals from their inception to the present day, with data from news and government reports. Read on to see how various legal acts, food trends, and budget cuts have changed what kids are getting on their trays.

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