Tax free holiday begins Friday, all Missouri municipalities and counties must participate

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – As summer break winds down and children prepare to head back to school, shoppers in Missouri will get a break at the register, as they will be able to purchase up to $50 in school supplies, $100 in new clothes, and $3,500 in computers tax-free. 

And this is the case everywhere in Missouri, as municipalities and counties can no longer opt out of this tax-free weekend.

Rob Gilligan with the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce said this sacrifice of tax revenue is an investment by state and local governments in the communities’ youth.  

“At the state and local level, our governments are definitely supportive of the development of our youth and workforce, and so this is an investment on their part, as well, to support those families as they head back to the academic year,” he said.

Cape Girardeau is one of the cities that previously opted out of the holiday, and Assistant City Manager Trevor Pulley said what the city will lose in tax revenue will be made up for and then some in the assistance given to families. 

“It helps families out at this time of the year to get the kids back to school, to get what they need, and alleviate the taxes for the families and the children,” he said.

It’s a sacrifice that is about more than money. 

“It’s a savings that is a small sacrifice of revenue for both state and local governments, but really in that an opportunity for families to prepare,” Gilligan said.