No, Kentucky will not have a tax-free weekend before school starts. Here's why
This weekend, Tennessee will have it's annual tax-free event.
In 2022, 17 other states will participate in some kind of tax-free event, most right before the school year starts. However, Kentucky is not one of them.
Jill Midkiff, the director of communications of Kentucky's finance and administration cabinet, said the state has never had a tax-free holiday.
"A tax holiday would require an act of the General Assembly," Midkiff said. "Therefore, Kentucky has not had a sales tax holiday for any purpose."
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Despite several bills being proposed over the past 10 years to have a sales tax holiday, the legislature has enacted none of them. The most recent one filed by the Kentucky General Assembly was HB 26 in 2016. Rep. David Hale, who co-sponsored HB 26, said he does not know why the bill died. However, he did note it had bipartisan support and said he would be interested in bringing up the issue again to the budget committee in the interim period before the session starts in January.
Not having a holiday has not stopped some Kentucky citizens from taking advantage of these deals, though. Some people will cross state lines, like to neighboring Tennessee, to get their products tax-free.
It would be really nice. I usually drive to TN to take advantage of there’s. It would be better to get reimbursed, we used to be able to provide receipts up to a certain amount. Bargain hunting and reimbursement helped me fill my classroom.
— Colonel TNT (@ColonelTNT) July 5, 2022
Yet, Janelle Fritts, a policy analyst with the Tax Foundation’s Center for State Tax Policy, warned that tax-free holidays may be inaccessible and a signal for broader change.
"If you have to give a holiday for your sales tax for a weekend, that seems to indicate that there is something wrong with your sales tax system that you probably need to fix. Just one weekend most likely won’t fix it," she said. Instead, Fritts suggests a lower sales tax annually. That way, people who may not be able to purchase items during the holiday could still take advantage of it.
"It's acknowledging a problem and giving a 5% discount," she said about the tax-free events. "These cost the state money and seem to take money away from across the board relief that could make a bigger impact."
Tiffany Dunn, a teacher that has been with Jefferson County Public Schools for 10 years, seems to agree. In her mind, tax-free weekends are a slap in the face.
"It's like the government is saying, 'We know you pay, we know you supply your classrooms.' I would prefer they actually fund public schools," she said. "The (school supply) list grows for parents too."
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Dunn explained that she has stopped buying materials for her classroom, believing it is not her responsibility. Still, until long-term change is enacted, many citizens are enticed by the discount going into the school year and are willing to drive miles to do it.
This year's tax-free weekend in Tennessee will be from July 29 and July 31, and will include clothing, school supplies and electronic devices, like computers. In addition, each individual article of clothing and school item must next exceed $100 to qualify. Groceries will also be tax-free for the entire month of August in the state, but will include some exemptions, like alcohol and candy.
Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at emccrary@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ellie_mccrary.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky tax free weekend 2022: Why commonwealth doesn't have one
