Back to school shopping shouldn’t break the bank

As summer comes to an end, families and caregivers throughout the state are emptying their wallets to provide their children with the school supplies, books and clothes necessary to start off the school year. While the price of food and fuel continues to soar, families are digging deeper into their budgets now more than ever to pay for these essentials. According to the National Retail Federation, two out of every 10 parents set aside a portion of their federal tax rebate check to cover back-to-school expenses, which are estimated to be $594 for the average family.

To save money wherever they can, families are getting more creative in their shopping by hosting and going to yard sales, visiting resale shops and taking part in “clothing swaps” with other families to provide their children with the clothing they need. While this is a practical solution, there are still many school supplies such as expensive calculators and electronics necessary to purchase for a quality education.

To provide families with financial relief, I cosponsored Senate Bill 692, introduced by Senator John Pappageorge (R-Troy), to implement a tax-free holiday during the first 15 days of September, right around the time school has began. Under the bill, any sales of clothes, shoes and school supplies would be exempt from the state’s 6% sales tax up to $150 of the purchase and school supplies up to $50 of the purchase.

Seventeen states and Washington, D.C. have passed similar legislation, offering tax-free holiday weekends or weeks during the back-to-school months. Meanwhile, Michigan is struggling the most out of any state and the legislation still awaits action in the Finance Committee. It’s essential we take leadership and fight for the passage of Senate Bill 692 to help our state’s citizens afford the supplies needed to prepare their children for the school year and support their education.