By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – One of the Birmingham metro area’s largest shopping cities will again take part in the annual state back-to-school sales tax holiday, which will be held earlier than normal this year.

During a May 8 meeting, Alabaster City Council members voted unanimously to approve the city’s participation in the tax holiday, which will fall in July for the first time this year. In past years, the tax holiday had fallen in early August.

A few years ago, the Alabaster council approved an ordinance tying the city’s back-to-school sales tax holiday with the state’s each year. However, because the state Legislature modified the dates for this year’s tax holiday, Alabaster was required to pass a new ordinance to again tie it to the state’s tax holiday.

The May 8 vote came after a public hearing on the matter, during which nobody spoke for or against the city joining the tax holiday.

During the tax holiday, which will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 21, and end at midnight on Sunday, July 23, certain items will be exempt from state, county and city sales tax.

Items included in the back-to-school sales tax holiday include certain types of apparel costing less than $100, computers and computer supplies costing $750 or less, school supplies and instructional materials costing less than $50 per item and books costing $30 or less per item.

For a full list of taxable and non-taxable items, visit revenue.alabama.gov/salestax/STHolidayQuickRefSheet17.pdf.