One of the most exciting times of the new school year is upon us. It is back-to-school shopping time, and the state of Alabama will make it a little less expensive with the annual Back-to-School Tax Holiday.

There is nothing like the smell of a new box of crayons, sharpening a box of new pencils and removing the tags from fresh new uniforms.

This year marks the 18th-annual back-to-school sales tax holiday, and it runs from 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 21, through midnight Sunday, July 23. The holiday is intended to provide shoppers with a way to save money.

The list of exempt items is extensive, but the general description of items includes:

• Clothing priced at $100 or less per article.
• School supplies valued at $50 or less per item.
• Books that cost $30 or less per book.
• Tablets, laptops, computers and printers with a selling price of $750 or less.

For a full list of items exempt visit www.revenue.alabama.gov.