Municipalities Clanton and Thorsby are participating in Alabama’s ninth annual sales tax holiday this weekend, Aug. 1- 3.

Statewide, shoppers will have the opportunity to purchase school supplies and other education-related items without paying the state’s 4-cent sales tax.

Counties and cities also have the option to participate in the holiday, saving their local shoppers even more money.

Clanton and Thorsby are participating, meaning that shoppers will not pay the cities’ 3-percent sales tax, in addition to not paying the state’s 4-percent sales tax.

Chilton County is not participating in the holiday, and items bought in the county will still have a county tax of 2 percent.

The county will raise its sales tax from 1 percent to 2 percent beginning Aug. 1 to pay for the construction of a new hospital.

When shopping in Clanton and Thorsby this weekend, shoppers will pay only a 2-percent sales tax from the county, compared to a usual 9-percent sales tax from state, county and city taxes combined.

Shoppers in Maplesville and Jemison will still have to pay their city tax of 4 percent and county tax of 2 percent, creating a total of 6-percent sales tax, compared to the usual 10 percent.

The holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, and goes through Sunday, Aug. 3.

“This is the perfect opportunity for parents to purchase needed supplies and get a tax break,” said Alabama Revenue Commissioner Julie P. Magee in a press release. “It is a win-win situation for parents, all shoppers and the retailers, who will see consumers buying non-exempt items as well.”

Tax-exempt items include clothing priced $100 or less per item; computers and software priced $750 or less per item; school and art supplies priced $50 or less per item; and books priced $30 or less per item.

Some common items that are not tax-exempt include jewelry, glasses and most sporting equipment.

“The sales tax holiday is a much-anticipated event for many parents and students who are getting ready for school and college,” Magee said. “It helps Alabama taxpayers stretch their family’s back-to-school budget a little further, and at the same time, it provides a boost to our retail communities as more shoppers are out and about taking advantage of the sales tax holiday weekend.”

For more information on the holiday and a full list of tax-exempt items, visit www.revenue.alabama.gov/salestax.