Back to school

The yearly back-to-school sales tax holiday returns to Missouri this Friday through Sunday, Aug. 5, 2011, through 7, 2011, giving a tax break to customers of computers and related items, some clothing and some school supplies.

In some places, customers will pay no sales tax for these items. Where a county, municipality or district has opted out of the holiday, customers will avoid state sales taxes totaling 4.225 cents, but still would have to pay the sales taxes of opted-out jurisdictions, which could exceed 2 cents.

Here’s what customers can buy with the tax break:

● Computers. Desktop, tower or laptop computers; most of their peripherals, among them monitors, keyboards, disk drives, modems, printers and sound cards, and software. The state limits to tax break to $3,500 spent on computers, $3,500 spent on peripherals and $350 on software.

● Clothing. Items including footwear worth up to $100, but not watches, watchbands, jewelry, handbags, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, scarves, ties, headbands or belt buckles.

● School supplies. The state says the tax break applies to spending up to $50 for “any item normally used by students in a standard classroom for educational purposes.” The tax break does not apply to such items as radios, compact disk players, headphones, sporting equipment, telephones, copiers, office equipment or furniture.

All counties in the Missouri side of the St. Louis region will participate in the sales tax holiday.

The state revenue department says that these municipalities in the St. Louis area will not participate: Ballwin, Bellerive, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Black Jack, Brentwood, Bridgeton, Byrnes Mill, Clayton, Cool Valley, Crystal City, Des Peres, DeSoto, Edmundson, Ellisville, Elsberry, Fenton, Ferguson, Festus, Flint Hill, Frontenac, Gerald, Greendale, Hawk Point, Kirkwood, Ladue, Manchester, Maplewood, Marlborough, Marthasville, Moscow Mills, New Haven, New Melle, Northwoods, Oakland, Overland, Pevely, Richmond Heights, Rock Hill, Shrewsbury, St. Ann, St. Peters, Town and Country, Twin Oaks, University City, Velda City, Warson Woods and Webster Groves.

Also not participating, the state says, are the these community improvement districts: 1225 Washington, 8750 Manchester Road, Crowne Plaza, CWE Business, Hazelwood Commerce Center, Manchester/Ballas, Orpheum Theatre, St. Louis Convention Center Hotel, Station Plaza, Suemandy Drive One, Suemandy Drive Two, Suemandy/Mid Rivers and Truman Village.

Transportation Development Districts not participating, the state says, are 1225 Washington, Arnold Retail, Ballwin Town Center, Crowne Plaza, Des Peres Corners, Hanley Road Corridor, Hanley Station, Hanley/Eager Road, Koch Plaza, Market at McKnight 1, Meadows, Salt Lick Road, St. Louis Convention Center Hotel, Station Plaza, University Place and Wentzville Parkway 1.

For complete statewide lists of jurisdictions not participating in the sales tax holiday, see counties, municipalities and districts.