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Tax Free Weekend: Shop Snellville!
By Jerry | August 3, 2007
As we begin another August here in Snellville, we get one day closer to that celebratory moment when our children get back on the bus, and schools are back in session. It’s bittersweet for Roxann and I this year, because for the first time since 1990 we won’t have a child attending Gwinnett County Public Schools. Our three sons are now in college, but that doesn’t exempt us from taking advantage of Tax Free Weekend, which began yesterday!
Anyone who’s lived here in Georgia has heard of it, and most parents of school age children live by it! It’s a chance to spend hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars in school supplies and other items without having to pay taxes. The Georgia Department of Revenue spells out each year which items are on the “list” of non-taxable goods we can purchase, this year here’s how they’ve defined it:
- Articles of Clothing. The exemption applies to articles of clothing and footwear with a sales price of $100 or less per item. Clothing accessories such as handbags, umbrellas, cuff links, handkerchiefs, jewelry, key cases, wallets, watches and watch bands, and ponytail holders and/or similar hair products are not exempt. See lists of exempt items.
- Personal Computers. A single purchase of $1,500 or less of personal computers and/or related accessories is exempt. If the single purchase exceeds $1,500, the entire transaction is taxable. See list of exempt items.
- General School Supplies. The exemption applies to the purchase of general school supplies with a sales price of $20 or less per item. See list of exempt items.
You can find the full list of exempted items and other information Here
Now most people who plan to spend the weekend at the stores may pack up the family and head for one of the three malls here in Gwinnett. But did you know Snellville is the fourth largest shopping area in Gwinnett? Without having a mall, Snellville has more shopping opportunities than any of the other cities in the county. If you need proof, go drive down 124 on a Saturday afternoon.
But Mayor, if it’s Tax Free Weekend, why does it matter if I shop in Snellville? It helps the city in a number of ways! The biggest reason is to keep the area vitalized and active. For years we’ve had the problem here in the city of big empty box stores. The old Target, the old Walmart, the old Winn Dixie and before construction of City Hall, the old Kroger. While Winn Dixie left because they were downsizing their reach in the Atlanta area, the other three moved onto 124 “where the shoppers are”.
This turned 124 into a shoppers Mecca, but it also turned 78 into a ghost town. The Evermore Community Improvement District and the City of Snellville have been working hard to fix this, and to help make all our major areas of the city productive. But we can’t do it alone. For all the incentives, and improvements we can offer to revitalize these areas, it means nothing if we can’t get you the customer back into these stores. Shopping centers locate where they will be best reached by their target audience. (example: The Avenues) That trend seems to be pushing stores further up 124 each year, leaving the City Center area in the dust. To reverse this trend southward, we need your help!
So this weekend as you get ready to gear up and fight the mobs for those mechanical pencils, remember to do your shopping here in Snellville. We may not have every store you need, but the stores here count on your business to stay profitable, and the city counts on your business to keep our area productive and vital.
Good luck to everyone who plans to head out for a little shopping this weekend!
Topics: Thoughts |