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This weekend marks North Carolina's seventh sales-tax holiday. Although the law has undergone a few tweaks, the goals are the same: Saving consumers a few bucks on back-to-school shopping while keeping stores busy.

What the law says

G.S. 105-164.13C - Sales Tax Holiday - provides an exemption on sales and use taxes for certain items of tangible personal property sold between 12:01 a.m. on the first Friday in August and 11:59 p.m. the following Sunday.

What the law means

Today through Sunday, you won't have to pay the 6.75 percent sales tax on a bunch of stuff.

What stuff?

* Clothing, footwear and school supplies of $100 or less per item
* School instructional materials of $300 or less per item
* Sports and recreation equipment of $50 or less per item
* Computers of $3,500 or less per item
* Computer supplies of $250 or less per item.

What's still taxed?

You still have to pay taxes on clothing accessories, jewelry, cosmetics, protective equipment, wallets, furniture, items used in a trade or business, and rentals.

What happens if you are mistakenly charged the tax?

You can get a refund. But not from the N.C. Department of Revenue. To get your refund of tax paid in error, you must return to the store with the sales receipt and get a refund from the retailer.

Can retailers elect not to participate?

Nope. It's the law. Retailers may only collect from their customers sales taxes that are legally due. The state could revoke a retailer's Certificate of Registration if a store collects sales taxes that are not legally due.

What happens if you need to return something?

OK. You got carried away with tax-free mania and made an impulse buy. Or maybe you got something in the wrong color or wrong size. It has to go back. Now what? If you exchange the item for the same item (different size, different color, etc.), no additional tax will be due, even if the exchange is made after the sales-tax holiday. But if you bring it back after the tax-free weekend and swap it for something different, you'll have to pay the sales tax on the new item.

What does the exemption for "sports and recreation equipment" with a sales price of $50 or less per item include?

This applies to items designed for people to wear during athletic activities that are not suitable for general use. It's for things such as helmets, ballet shoes, cleated shoes, shin guards, ski boots, shoulder pads, mouth guards and goggles.

Clothes are covered. So what about materials to make your own clothes?

Sorry. Fabric, thread, yarn and other such items bought to make clothing are taxable.

More info. here.

- Compiled by Jeff Mills

Source: N.C. Department of Revenue