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Axios
3 hours ago
- Axios
Sales tax holidays begin as families face higher school costs
Nine states are kicking off tax-free holidays this weekend —as back-to-school inflation hits hard and families rush to lock in savings. Why it matters: It's a rare tax break for families preparing for a new school year and dealing with higher prices because of President Trump's tariffs. Four states — Alabama, Mississippi, New Mexico and Tennessee — held tax holidays in July, and four more tax-free breaks are held later in August. The big picture: Retailers like Walmart and Target are freezing or lowering prices on select items to court budget-conscious shoppers. Looming tariffs on Chinese imports — including tech and school supplies — are expected to drive prices up 12–15% this season, according to retail analysts. What they're saying:"With uncertainty around costs this fall, both shoppers and retailers are trying to lock in value now while they can," Stephanie Carls, RetailMeNot retail insights expert, told Axios. Mary Hines Droesch, head of consumer and wealth management products at Bank of America, tells Axios, that spreading out purchases can help consumers avoid impulse buys and lets families catch late-season deals. Sales tax holidays 2025 include online orders Sales tax is waived for in-store purchases and online shopping during the holidays, but exclusions apply. Arkansas tax-free weekend 2025 Arkansas holds its annual sales tax holiday on the first weekend of August each year for two days — Saturday and Sunday. Tax-free items: Clothing and shoes: Less than $100 per item. Clothing accessories or equipment: Less than $50 per item. School supplies and electronic devices used by students for study are also included, the state said. Florida sales tax holiday 2025 The Sunshine State's annual sales tax holiday is now a monthlong tax break every August. Tax-free items: Clothing, footwear and accessories: $100 or less. Most school supplies: $50 or less. Computers and accessories for personal use: $1,500 or less. Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles: $30 or less. Iowa sales tax holiday weekend 2025 The Hawkeye State's tax holiday is held annually on the first weekend in August and lasts two days, Friday and Saturday. No state or local option sales tax will be collected on clothing or footwear less than $100, according to the state. Missouri tax-free weekend 2025 Missouri's annual three-day tax holiday runs Friday through Sunday, Aug. 3, per the state. Tax-free items: Clothing: $100 or less. Personal computers and computer peripheral devices: Up to $1,500 and software up to $350. School supplies: Not to exceed $50 per purchase, graphing calculators up to $150. Ohio expanded sales tax holiday 2025 Ohio expanded its annual sales tax holiday into a two-week event, which ends at 11:59pm Aug. 14. The sales tax holiday includes "all tangible personal property that is $500 or less," including electronics, clothing, books, home goods, sporting goods, food and more. Oklahoma sales tax holiday 2025 Oklahoma's three-day sales tax holiday is held the first Friday through Sunday in August annually. Tax-free items: Clothing and footwear: Less than $100. South Carolina tax-free weekend 2025 The annual sales tax holiday in South Carolina is Friday through Sunday, Aug. 3 and exempts eligible purchases from the 6% state tax and local taxes. Tax-free items: Regardless of price, all computers, printers, school supplies, clothing and accessories, shoes and certain bed and bath items. Virginia sales tax holiday 2025 Virginia's three-day sales tax holiday — Friday through Sunday — waives tax on school supplies, clothing, footwear, emergency preparedness items as well as select appliances. Tax-free items: Clothing and footwear: $100 or less per item. School supplies: $20 or less. West Virginia sales tax holiday 2025 West Virginia's sales tax holiday runs Friday through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 4, the state says. Tax-free items: Clothing: $125 or less. Laptop and tablet computers: $500 or less. School supplies: $50 or less. School instruction material: $20 or less. Sports equipment: $150 or less. Upcoming sales tax holidays
Epoch Times
3 hours ago
- Epoch Times
Canada Renews Funding for China Student Exchange Program That Requires Allegiance to Communist Regime
Canada has renewed funding for a bilateral scholarship program that requires Chinese candidates applying to study in Canada to show allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and uphold the party's 'socialist system.' David Morrison, deputy minister of foreign affairs at Global Affairs Canada, on July 30 signed an agreement with his Chinese counterpart, executive vice minister Ma Zhaoxu, to renew the Canada-China Scholars' Exchange Program. Through the program, Ottawa funds Chinese applicants to conduct research at Canadian universities as visiting scholars for 4–12 months.
The Hill
4 hours ago
- The Hill
Colombian ex-President Álvaro Uribe is sentenced to 12 years house arrest for bribery
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was sentenced Friday to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and bribery in a historic case that gripped the South American nation and tarnished the conservative strongman's legacy. The sentence, which Uribe said will be appealed, followed a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group in the 1990s. 'Politics prevailed over the law in sentencing,' Uribe said after Friday's hearing. Uribe, 73, has denied any wrongdoing. He faced up to 12 years in prison after being convicted Monday. His attorney had asked the court to allow Uribe to remain free while he appeals the verdict. Judge Sandra Heredia on Friday said she did not grant the defense's request because it would be 'easy' for the former president to leave the country to 'evade the imposed sanction.' Heredia also banned Uribe from holding public office for eight years and fined him about $776,000. Ahead of Friday's sentencing, Uribe posted on X that he was preparing arguments to support his appeal. He added that one must 'think much more about the solution than the problem' during personal crises. The appeals court will have until early October to issue a ruling, which either party could then challenge before Colombia's Supreme Court. The former president governed from 2002 to 2010 with strong support from the United States. He is a polarizing figure in Colombia, where many credit him for saving the country from becoming a failed state, while others associate him with human rights violations and the rise of paramilitary groups in the 1990s. Heredia on Monday said she had seen enough evidence to determine that Uribe conspired with a lawyer to coax three former paramilitary group members, who were in prison, into changing testimony they had provided to Ivan Cepeda, a leftist senator who had launched an investigation into Uribe's alleged ties to a paramilitary group. Uribe in 2012 filed a libel suit against Cepeda in the Supreme Court. But in a twist, the high court in 2018 dismissed the accusations against Cepeda and began investigating Uribe. Martha Peñuela Rosales, a supporter of Uribe's party in the capital, Bogota, said she wept and prayed after hearing of the sentence. 'It's an unjust sentence. He deserves to be free,' she said. Meanwhile, Sergio Andrés Parra, who protested against Uribe outside the courthouse, said the 12-year sentence 'is enough' and, even if the former president appeals, 'history has already condemned him.' During Uribe's presidency, Colombia's military attained some of its biggest battlefield victories against Latin America's oldest leftist insurgency, pushing the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia into remote pockets and forcing the group's leadership into peace talks that led to the disarmament of more than 13,000 fighters in 2016.
