As earlier reported, parents purchasing school supplies for their children in preparation for the new school year will no longer be able to take advantage of the sales tax holiday as they did the last few years.

In 2022, in an attempt to ease the burden on parents purchasing back-to-school items, state legislators enacted a sales tax holiday on school supplies and other essential items for parents and educators.

Today, state Senator Carmen Amato (R-Manchester) announced his intention to introduce legislation that would reinstate the annual back-to-school sales tax holiday. The sales tax holiday was recently repealed as part of the state budget negotiations.

Senator Amato’s bill would reinstate the repealed sales tax holiday and occur during the ten-day period leading up to and including Labor Day. Under the bill the following items would be exempt from the sales tax:

Computers with a sales price of less than $3,000 per item;

School computer supplies with a sales price of less than $1,000 per item;

School and art supplies;

School instructional materials; and

Sport or recreational equipment.

“Reinstating the annual back-to-school sales tax holiday is a common-sense proposal that eases the financial burden of purchasing school supplies,” Amato said in a statement. “The misguided decision to strip New Jerseyans of this critical relief has only made it harder to provide for their children’s education. At a time when household budgets are being stretched thin, this tax holiday would provide meaningful relief to families and educators.”