New Jersey cancels back-to-school tax holiday after just 2 years
TRENTON, N.J. - The back-to-school season will now be even more expensive for parents and teachers in New Jersey.
The state has officially gotten rid of their annual tax holiday program, which offered tax-free back-to-school shopping.
Parents and teachers will once again have to pay taxes on much-needed items, such as computers, art supplies, school instructional materials and sports equipment.
Parent and teacher Andrea Schafer, had this to say, "I have three kids. We will sometimes go shopping that week, sometimes places do extra sales that week. I’m also a teacher so sometimes when they do discounts for teachers, you try to take advantage of all those things."
Here's how much parents spend on average for back-to-school supplies
A recent survey of American parents found how much parents spend on average for back-to-school supplies per child, per year. It also found the highest-spending and lowest-spending states.
Parent Michael Rinehimer stated, "Every bit of savings helps, so getting rid of something that’s been helpful for people for a long time is definitely something that the community would definitely be upset about."
While a former teacher in New Jersey, Stephanie Neabore, said, "That’s really a shame because there are so many children that can’t afford to have enough school supplies."
Jersey resident, Michael Molloy, added, "I wish they wouldn’t do that because there is a lot of people that are hurting right now, so I believe they should rethink that."
The 10-day holiday was repealed in this year's state budget after being implemented in 2022 and 2023.
It comes as 31 percent of parents say they’ll be unable to afford back-to-school shopping for their kids, according to a survey.
The news comes as a shock to not only parents, but also the teachers, who are often utilizing the week to get supplies for students and their classrooms. Officials from the New Jersey Education Association are not happy, as president, Sean Spiller, explained, "Anytime you see that, on top of what you’re already spending, you know you’re losing a little bit of a break that would allow you to get a few more things and maybe help a few more students. It’s certainly frustrating. I’m disappointed to see in that regard and ultimately it limits what you can then have to help provide for student success."
More than a third of parents said they plan to take on debt, such as credit card debt or buy now, pay later loans, in order to pay for their kids’ school supplies.