Businesses, lawmakers push to revive Tax-Free Weekend in NC
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- There's been a push in the General Assembly to revive the Sales Tax Holiday weekend that disappeared from North Carolina calendars nearly two years ago.
The official notice from the North Carolina Department of Revenue reads, "Effective July 1, 2014, N.C. Gen Stat. 105-164.13C, which provides a sales and use tax holiday for the first weekend in August, is repealed per Session Law 2013-316."
The move angered many North Carolinians, including several Wake County consumers and business owners.
After he was contacted by his constituents, Democratic State Senator Paul A. Lowe Jr. sponsored a Senate Bill calling for the reenactment of the School Sales Tax Holiday.
"We've got to find a way to help working families," Lowe said. "And I know there's been this big economic recovery for some. But there's still a whole lot of folks out there who are struggling."
Businesses like Warp Computers have felt the brunt of the popular weekend's absence.
"This year we didn't see it. So when you start tracking sales on a yearly basis, you see a dip," commented Warp sales director Bob Monaghan.
After the introduction of the bill's reenactment today, it will now await a committee assignment for further review. Senator Valerie Foushee (D-23) also spoke with ABC11 and said she is "hopeful" the bill gets assigned to "the appropriate committee".
Raleigh resident Anna McAllister agrees with Lowe and Foushee.
"I do want to see it come back. I think it's good for people that are buying school supplies," McAllister said. "I think it's a help for the economy."
