Birmingham, AL - If you plan on doing your back to school shopping at The Galleria, The Summit, Brookwood Mall or anywhere else in Jefferson county, you can expect to pay more than in other areas.  That is because the county is not giving you a tax break when most other local governments are.

If you shop in Hoover,  you pay 9 percent in sales taxes  - four percent to the state, three percent to Hoover and another two percent to Jefferson County.  Now, Jefferson County says it can not do without the money generated from its two percent sales tax during Alabama's Tax Holiday Weekend.

"A lot of customers, a lot of traffic, a lot of fun a lot of good deals so it's usually a really busy weekend," said Best Buy manager Peter Branscomb.

It is the weekend parents  typically wait for to get their children outfitted for school.  It is a weekend free of taxes.  But this year, facing a budget crisis, Jefferson County Commissioners voted not to suspend the tax.

"I hope they see it as a measure we're taking to again try to shore things up and avoid additional layoffs," said Commission President Bettye Fine Collins.  She says the tax will retain about $200 thousand dollars for the county. 

Commissioner Bobby Humphryes sees repealing the tax holiday as a missed opportunity for the county.

"I still think we made the wrong move here and we should have participated in this for 3 days," Humphryes said.

"With everybody getting ready to go back to school and they have to buy clothes, they have to buy supplies, if right down the street 30 minutes they can get a tax break and get more for their money, I think it would affect Jefferson County," said parent and shopper Heather Chavers.

The county assesses a two percent sales tax on all purchases.  However, the state and many cities will still suspend their taxes for the weekend.  That means shoppers in Jefferson County will pay more, particularly on big ticket items.

"I would probably try to go where I could get the tax break and go to Tuscaloosa, go wherever is closest to get the most for my money," said Chavers. "It adds up so any that you can save is going to help you in the long run. You can use it toward something else."

The tax free weekend runs August 7 - August 9.

 

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