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Chamber Says Sales Tax Holiday is Good
The head of the Galesburg-Area Chamber of Commerce says what amounts to a week-long sales tax holiday meant to encourage back-to-school-related shopping should ultimately turn out to be a good thing for local retailers.

Bob Maus says there's plenty of upside for consumers from Friday through August 15th who are buying school supplies and back-to-school clothing under $100, among other things -- in that the removal of the five-percent sales tax for those days can amount to a nice discount.

Maus tells WGIL while the measure essentially mirrors other states like Iowa who do the same thing this time of year, he doesn't think local shoppers were exactly heading in droves to the Iowa Quad Cities to take advantage in years past.

"We're far enough away from those areas where, I think, most people do get their back-to-school supplies in our community anyway," Maus said. "Our merchants do a great job of promoting the 'buy local' campaign, and there are a number of valid reasons to want to purchase your goods here."

Maus says some businesses are doing special back-to-school-themed promotions, including Sandburg Mall, which has one scheduled a week from Saturday.

He cautions shoppers, however, that only the STATE sales tax is being taken away now through August 15th. Local sales taxes will still be collected.
08 06 10 by Newsroom
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