Are you thinking about participating in the sales tax holiday for 2022 that occurs on August 13th and 14th? Below are some reminders about the holiday, what to expect, and some of our suggestions on where to shop this weekend.
What You Need to Know
Retail items of up to $2,500, purchased in Massachusetts for personal use on these two days, will be exempt from sales tax.
We recommend visiting Mass.gov for more information and read their frequently asked questions page about this special weekend.
Legislation was signed into law in 2018 that established an annual sales tax holiday for one weekend each year. On the sales tax holiday weekend, purchases by individuals of most retail items are not subject to the state sales tax.
The sales tax holiday applies to individuals purchasing retail items for personal use only. Purchases by corporations or other businesses—or purchases by individuals for business use—remain taxable.
The following items are still taxable and do not qualify for the sales tax holiday exemption:
- Meals
- Motor vehicles
- Motorboats
- Telecommunications services
- Gas
- Steam
- Electricity
- Tobacco products
- Marijuana or marijuana products
- Alcoholic beverages, and
- Any single item whose price is more than $2,500.
Suggestions of Where to Shop
Mill No. 5 and The Shops
“Mill No. 5 is the reawakening of a textile mill from 1873 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Our renovation preserves its historic character and keeps the spirit of imagination, craft and industry alive, relevant and contemporary.”
Who doesn’t want to help keep the spirit of imagination alive? We certainly do so this tax holiday, consider heading to Mill No. 5 at 250 Jackson St. No. 401 in Lowell. With tons of entertainment and shops, you and your family can make an entire day of it.
Some of the shops to visit:
Curation 250 – Curation 250, a truly one of a kind space, is the newest contemporary art gallery in the greater Boston area. Inside you will find a colorful shop with local artists work, skate culture inspired clothing, outdoor art supplies as well as a fully stocked spray paint vending machine.
Lowell Book Company – Started by Kristen McDonie in 2020, the Lowell Book Company saw a need in the community for a local bookshop. Support them this weekend and pick up some of the most popular books in 2022 so far.
Sweet Pig Press – a boutique stationery shop that features greeting cards, prints, and notebooks, and other paper goods made by various talented letterpress printers along with their own work.
Vinyl Destination – As the name suggests, the owners Dave and Dan Perry absolutely love vinyl records. Buying them, selling them and always have. It coincides with this tax free weekend, but Vinyl Destination is having an amazing sale event called “Hot Wax” which will be from 12 to 5 p.m. this Saturday, August 13th.
While many Massachusetts businesses will be participating in the tax free weekend, keep in mind that there are some restrictions. For example, buying an item that is more than $2500 will be applicable to tax. So before heading out make sure to review the frequently asked questions on the Mass.gov website.
