By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – There will be no sales tax free week on clothing purchases for back-to-school shoppers this year. A change in the law this year has lowered the tax on such purchases but has not eliminated it.
Tax free weeks were always a big hit with shoppers and retailers alike. That is until the state again changed the rules. Last spring, legislators voted to drop its four percent share of the sales tax on clothing and footwear purchases under $110. But in Erie County, shoppers are still paying a four-and-three-quarters percent on tax on such purchases.
County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz says the financially-strapped county could not afford to lose the revenue the local share generates.
Even if Erie County wanted to drop the tax for a week for back-to-school shopping, Poloncarz says the law won't allow that. He says counties either had to drop their share entirely or keep it.
The only county in Western New York to do so was Chautauqua County. Ted Potrikus of the Retail Council of New York State says retailers in Chautauqua were especially vulnerable since stores a quick drive across the border in Pennsylvania offer tax-free clothing.
Potrikus says retailers are pleased the state has permanently removed its share of the sales tax on clothing purchases. But he does admit the rules seem to change year to year, creating confusion for consumers who were expecting no tax during the week before school starts.