Retailers voice support for sales tax holiday

Tuesday, January 4th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- The Oklahoma Retail Merchants Association says it supports legislation that would create sales tax holiday on certain items. House Bill 1847 would exempt clothing and footwear under 100 dollars from the state sales tax for ten days before the start of school each fall. And the legislation would permit two sales tax holidays for the purchase of food before the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving.

Scott Mitchell is executive director of the Oklahoma Retail Merchants Association. Mitchell says an Oklahoma sales tax holiday is needed to help local merchants compete with those in Texas. Texas already has sales tax holidays. Tulsa State Representative John Sullivan authored the bill. Sullivan says sales in Texas increased 22 per cent during that state's tax holidays.