Duke Employees Ready to Take Advantage of State Tax Holiday

You don't have to leave campus to cash-in on North Carolina's sales tax holiday, which runs from Friday, Aug. 1, through Sunday, Aug. 3.

Many items at Duke Stores, including computers, clothing and back-to-school supplies, will be exempt from state and local sales taxes that weekend. That's a savings of 6.75 percent in Durham County.

Most Duke Stores are closed on Sunday, but all locations, including the Duke Computer Store and the University Store, both in the Bryan Center, are open Friday and Saturday.

"Shopping at Duke Stores during the tax-free holiday is a convenient way for staff, faculty and students to save money and time," said Brian Buttram, associate director, Duke Stores. "You can even get a Blue Devil shirt or Duke imprinted school supplies without having to pay state and local sales tax.

"Of course, the most significant savings can be found when purchasing products in our Computer Store. Computers rarely go on sale, so a 6.75 percent savings is unusual and a valuable discount. The tax free status also applies to many of our textbooks, which are rarely discounted."

Items exempt from sales tax include:

* Clothing and shoes that cost $100 or less.

* Sporting goods and recreation equipment that cost $50 or less.

* Computers that cost $3,500 or less.

* Computer supplies such as printers and personalized digital assistants that cost $250 or less.

* Textbooks and instructional materials such as reference books and maps that cost $300 or less.

Some merchandise, such as computer software in the Duke Computer Store and novels in the Gothic Bookshop, will be subject to sales tax.

The annual sales tax holiday, approved by legislators in 2001, helps consumers save about $10 million each year. For a complete list of tax-exempt items, click here.

For a list of Duke Stores locations and hours, click here.