Back-to-school shopping will be a little easier on the wallet this weekend. Numerous items, such as clothes, school supplies and computers, are exempt from state and local sales taxes. The Back to School Sales Tax Holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 5, and ends at midnight on Sunday, Aug. 7. During this period, the state’s 4.225 percent sales tax will not be assessed on certain purchases. The local sales tax, 7.975 percent for both Warrenton and Wright City, will also not be charged for the specified items. Jan Olearnick, Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce executive director, hopes county residents take advantage of the sales tax exemptions locally and support local businesses. “That is a huge savings considering all you have to buy for kids going to school and college,” she said. “We’re lucky we can participate in this. It puts money back into your own pocket.” The items that are tax-free during the three-day holiday weekend include clothing that does have a value of more than $100, school supplies not exceeding $50 per purchases that are used in a standard classroom for educational purposes, and personal computers that don’t cost more than $3,500 and computer software up to $350. Some of the items not eligible for the sales tax exemption are watches, jewelry, CD players, sporting equipment or office equipment. Some of the local stores selling items that are exempted include Nike, Levi’s, Rue 21, Factory Brand Shoes, Wal-Mart, Radio Shack and resale shops. Shopping locally, Olearnick said, helps to reinvest money into the community. “Anytime you buy local, businesses here are owned by community members,” she said. “The small businesses need the community to shop with them and they employ many of our community members.” Olearnick reminds residents to be aware of what municipalities are not participating in the sales tax free weekend. A list of cities and counties that have opted out of the sales tax free weekend can be viewed at www.dor.mo.gov/business/sales/taxholiday/school/. Marthasville is the only local municipality to opt out from participating in the sales tax free weekend. In the past, city officials pointed out their lack of retail stores for their decision.