Alabama’s 10th Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday will begin at 12:01 a.m. Friday and end at midnight on Sunday.

“This is a perfect opportunity for parents to purchase needed school supplies and get a tax break at the same time,” said State Revenue Commissioner Julie Magee. “This is a win-win situation for parents, shoppers and retailers, because consumers will be buying non-exempt items as well.”

Participation is required for all retailers, with local governments having the choice to participate or opt out of the holiday.

“Taxpayers, especially parents, will reap extra benefits if their city and county choose to participate, as they could be exempt from paying state, municipal and county taxes on their purchases,” explained Magee.

Local governments had until July 7 to notify the Alabama Department of Revenue of their decision to participate in this year’s sales tax holiday. This year, 301 localities are participating. The City of Greenville, the City of Georgiana and Butler County are listed as participating in the ta- free weekend.

Items that can be purchased tax free during that weekend include clothing items less than $100, school supplies, books, computers ($750 or less) and computer equipment. A complete list can be found at revenue.alabama.gov/salestax.

The Butler County Retired Educators Association is taking advantage of the tax-free weekend to help out the county’s students and teachers by holding a “Fill the Bus” campaign.

The retired educators will be at Walmart throughout the weekend collecting school supplies for the students, teachers and nurses of the Butler County Schools System.

They will officially kick off the event at 8 a.m. Saturday. Administrators with the school system, principals, members of the Butler County Board of Education and elected officials from across the county have been invited to participate.

For more information on the sales tax holiday, including a list of tax-exempt items, go to http://revenue.alabama.gov/salestax/SalesTaxHol.cfm

To learn more about the “Fill the Bus” campaign, call 382-8585 or 382-5002.