Aug 4, 2008

Retail group president declares Georgia’s sales tax holiday a successBy Harris BlackwoodGainesvilleTimes.com

The president of the Georgia Retail Association said Monday that while final numbers are not in, he believes the state’s retailers saw more dollars come into their stores because of the sales tax holiday.

John Heavener, president of the association, said the sales tax exemption on selected clothing, computers and school supplies generated increased traffic for retailers.

“It seems to have been a good weekend,” Heavener said. “We seem to be up from last year just based on anecdotes and no solid numbers. People I’ve talked to at the store level say sales are up, but no one has released numbers.”

The state department of audits — which prepares an annual fiscal note, the amount the sales tax loss will cost the state — estimated the four-day holiday would take $8.67 million from state coffers for clothing sales alone. That translates to $217 million in retail clothing sales across the state.

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