By By Adam Prestridge
Forget Christmas in July, the City of Atmore is once again treating its residents to an early Christmas gift in August.
In accordance with the Alabama Legislature, the Atmore city council agreed Monday to participate in the tax exemption holiday the first full weekend in August.
"I entertain a motion and a second to support the back-to-school sales tax holiday as recommended by the governor," Mayor Howard Shell said during Monday's meeting.
The motion was passed unanimously by the city council.
The three-day sales tax holiday officially begins Aug. 3 at 12:01 a.m. and ends at midnight on Aug. 5. It exempts certain "covered items" from municipal sales and use taxes.
According to Atmore city clerk Becca Smith, the city brought in $204,100 in September 2005, which is a direct result of sales tax revenue in August. Based on those figures and sales, if the tax holiday would have been implemented in 2005, the city would have lost approximately $20,410.
"Even though it's going to affect the city's revenue we certainly support the governor's efforts to encourage parents and students to shop close to home and keep revenue in their hometowns," Shell said in a previous interview. "Hopefully this will encourage more people to purchase items in Atmore that they might not otherwise purchase have not been given an incentive. In that respect we certainly support the tax holiday."
Alabama's exemptions include:
Clothing shall not include, belt buckles sold separately, costume masks sold separately, patches and emblems sold separately and sewing equipment and supplies including, but not limited to, knitting needles, patterns, pins, scissors, sewing machines, sewing needles, tape measures and thimbles. Sewing materials that become part of clothing including, but not limited to, buttons, fabric, lace, thread, yarn and zippers are also items excluded from the exemption.
In addition, clothing does not include clothing accessories or equipment, protective equipment or sport or recreational equipment
Log on to www.atmoreadvance.com for a link to the state's Web site for a complete listing of "exempted" and "non-exempted" items.