The holiday weekend has begun.
No one will get additional time off from work and no memorial events will be observed, but "back-to-school" shoppers will enjoy a sales tax "holiday" on purchases through midnight Sunday.
The observance is a creation of the Missouri Legislature and exempts specified items from the state's 4.225 percent sales tax.
Local governments may participate in the sales tax holiday, but a number of Central Missouri counties and municipalities do not.
That means although state sales taxes are not collected this weekend, local sales taxes will be remain in effect in Jefferson City, as well as Columbia, Holts Summit, California, Eldon, California, Osage Beach and more.
Local sales tax also will be collected for Cole County, as well as Callaway, Boone, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage and other counties.
A list of local governments that opt out is available online dor.mo.gov/business/sales/taxholiday/school/.
The state sales tax exemption is limited to: Any clothing article with a taxable value of $100 or less; school supplies not to exceed $50 per purchase; computer software with a taxable value of $350 or less; personal computers not to exceed $1,500; computer devices not to exceed $1,500; and graphing calculators not to exceed $150.
The benefits and drawbacks of a sales tax holiday continue to be debated.
Proponents contend the event boosts retail sales and aids the state's economy.
Opponents argue it does little to help shoppers and results in a loss of revenue for essential state services.
From our perspective, the lack of participation from local governments, particularly in Central Missouri, tells us something - specifically, the elected members of county commissions, city councils and municipal boards favor the sales tax revenue over any economic boost.
They're probably right. Back-to-school shoppers are likely to purchase supplies anyway; the holiday's most significant effect, perhaps, is consolidating the bulk of the shopping into a single weekend.
That weekend has begun, so why not avoid state sales taxes and stock up on needed school supplies?