Sales tax holiday a good idea

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes our elected officials do things which actually make our lives easier. This could be one of those times. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is proposing a sales tax holiday to coincide with back to school shopping. If approved by the legislature, this would allow purchases of school supplies, clothing and some computers to be made tax-free on the first full weekend in August both in 2017 and 2018. Computers under $750, as well as items of clothing costing $75 or less, and school supplies would all be exempted from the state sales tax. That would be a big help to Wisconsin families, especially those with several children in school. This wouldn’t come cheap. Walker estimates that holding the sales tax holiday just one weekend in August would cost the state about $11 million in lost tax revenue. But stores, particularly those here on the border, could see increased traffic and higher sales by bringing in people from neighboring states. That would be good for Wisconsin retailers. Wisconsin lawmakers should pass this legislation when their session resumes, and give hard-working Wisconsin families the break they deserve.