Massachusetts Sales Tax Holiday This Weekend

Time for back to school shopping in Norwood Center? Or a trip to the Wrentham outlets? Or day out at Legacy or Patriot Place?

Saturday, Aug. 11 and Sunday, Aug. 12 would be a good time to go.

As part of the jobs bill passed on the last day of the legislative session, lawmakers in Boston passed a two-day tax holiday.

The 115-page bill, passed on Tuesday, July 31, included a two-day holiday Aug. 11 and 12 from the state's 6.25 percent sales tax, according to the Boston Globe. 

Excluded from the tax holiday are restaurant meals, cars, motorboats, tobacco and any item that costs more than $2,500. To offset the loss of revenue, Gov. Deval Patrick set aside $20 milliion in a supplemental budget he filed early last month.

Massachusetts was one of 17 states in the country to offer a sales tax holiday in 2011, according to Forbes. With the exception of 2009, the state has held a tax holiday every summer for the past nine years. 

The bill also allows for $30 million in state grants to spur economic development, particularly in scientific research and advanced technology manufacturing, the Globe reports.