Ohio shoppers will get a break on back-to-school purchases

May 7, 2016 at 12:04a.m.

COLUMBUS

Ohio shoppers will get a break on back-to-school purchases during the first weekend in August, after Gov. John Kasich signed legislation Friday solidifying the state’s second sales-tax holiday.

Senate Bill 264 was one of a half- dozen bills finalized by the governor, a couple of weeks after lawmakers gave their final approval.

The sales tax holiday bill had to be signed quickly – law changes generally take effect 90 days after the governor adds his signature. With Friday’s action by the governor, SB 264 will take effect in time for the planned Aug. 5, 6 and 7 holiday.

Ohio’s first sales-tax holiday took place last August, exempting sales taxes on clothing items priced up to $75 and school supplies and instructional materials up to $20, whether purchased in stores or through online retailers.

The exemption did not cover computers and other electronics, sports equipment, clothing and hair accessories or higher-priced clothing and supplies.

SB 264 retained the provisions of the original sales tax holiday, setting a second holiday for this year but stopping short of making the occasion an annual event.

A study released earlier this year by the University of Cincinnati’s Economics Center showed that last year’s event boosted sales-tax collections by $4.7 million.

Other bills signed by the governor Friday included:

House Bill 233, which includes provisions allowing communities to establish downtown redevelopment districts to promote economic development and assist in rehabilitating historic buildings.

Senate Bill 133, which designates June as Scleroderma Awareness Month, drawing attention to a group of “rare diseases that involve the hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues – the fibers that provide the framework and support for the body,” according to an analysis by the state’s Legislative Service Commission.

Senate Bill 182, which included more than two dozen road designations honoring astronaut and Ohio native Neil Armstrong, former Gov. George Voinovich and other Ohioans.

Among other designations was language designating a section of U.S. Route 127 in Paulding County in memory of U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith; state Route 39 in Ashland County in memory of Fireman First Class Irving Eugene Peters; sections of state Route 7 in Mahoning and Columbiana counties in memory of Army Chief Warrant Officer Donald V. Clark and Corporal William F. Bratt; and a portion of state Route 82 in Trumbull County in memory of Lance Corporal Stanley J. Sliwinsky.

Senate Bill 239, which designated Aug. 7 as Ohio Purple Heart Day, honoring “the service and sacrifice of combat-wounded veterans.”