SHOPPERS can make huge savings across a wide range of products this weekend as one state launches a 48 hour tax holiday.
The tax breaks will be available on the majority of products up to $2,500.
But to qualify, they have to be for personal use as state officials hope it brings a boost to retailers and helps shoppers as their finances are stretched by the cost of living.
The Massachusetts tax free weekend started today and will last until 11:59 pm August 10.
“During the (sales-tax) holiday, the state’s 6.25% sales tax is suspended for most retail items priced under $2,500,” the state’s announcement said.
“This year’s temporary suspension of the sales tax will bring consumers needed economic relief,” House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano, D-Quincy, said.
He added that it will also “boost revenue for small businesses and retailers.”
Shoppers should know that they can purchase multiple items costing $2,500 or less with no limit and still be exempt from tax.
If any items are above that price threshold, the first $175 is tax free but the rest is taxable.
Even those who are shopping online can make the most of the tax holiday.
Online orders will be eligible for tax exemption if they are ordered and paid for during the weekend and during EDT hours.
“No sales tax is due on that purchase, even if delivery of the item occurs after the sales tax holiday weekend,” the Massachusetts Department of Revenue states.
All retailers open in the state over the weekend are required to participate.
While there are select items that are not included such as alcohol, tobacco, and cars, the savings can be made on the majority of items.
It is perfectly timed for families preparing to send their children back to school who want to stock up on supplies, or even those who want to get ahead and be ready for upcoming holidays like Christmas.
Fashion, electronics, and homeware is also included up to $2,500 per item so if you’ve had your eye on a product for a while, now is your chance.
The following items are still taxable and do not qualify for the sales tax holiday exemption:
It is advised to compare prices between stores in order to save the most money.
Many shoppers are concerned about how tariffs will impact future prices and so by shopping now they could save money in the future.
“At a time when consumers are seeing prices on store shelves spike, driven in part by federally imposed tariffs, this year’s Massachusetts sales-tax holiday will give shoppers a much-needed break,” the Massachusetts Legislature said in a release.
“The holiday also encourages families looking to shop for back-to-school season to support local small businesses and retailers.”
If you find that you were wrongly charged tax over the weekend, you can request a refund along with proof of purchase.
It comes as several other states have also launched tax-free weekends this month.
TIKTOK star Emilie Kiser has successfully fought to keep some of the most harrowing details of her three-year-old son’s drowning private.
She persuaded a Maricopa County Superior Court judge on Friday to redact two pages of a police report describing, in vivid detail, how her son Trigg died.
Emilie, whose wholesome family content has attracted millions of followers, said the move will protect her grieving family from online exploitation.
The toddler was found unconscious in the family’s backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona, on May 12.
He spent six days in critical condition before tragically passing away on May 18.
At the time, Emilie’s husband Brady Kiser was home but preoccupied with the couple’s newborn, Theodore, while she was out with friends.
The dad said that he noticed Trigg walking around the pool, which wasn’t normal, before walking away to spend about three to five minutes with Teddy.
When he looked back outside, he saw Trigg floating in the pool, he told detectives.
First responders attempted CPR before rushing him to hospital.
Last month, the Chandler Police Department released a statement announcing it was recommending a felony child abuse charge against Brady.
But officers have stressed they ruled the death accidental and Brady is not currently facing criminal charges.
Just hours before the fatal incident, the influencer had posted a video of her sons giggling in bed with their dad captioned, “I can not believe they are mine”.
The 55-page police report on the tragedy is now due to be released in the coming days – minus the two-and-a-quarter pages that Emilie fought to keep out.
Those passages allegedly contain a moment-by-moment written description of officer bodycam footage.
The court ruled it was so detailed it “functions as a surrogate for the video itself” and could “satisfy morbid curiosity” while risking misuse by “bad actors” online.
Emilie reportedly argued that leaving the material public could open the door for social media sleuths to create disturbing AI recreations – similar to viral content generated after other high-profile deaths, like the Idaho college murders.
In his ruling, Judge Whitten declared: “Specific material harm to her and her family outweighs the negligible public interest in those particular portions of the report.
“The narrow redaction of those sections strikes an appropriate balance between transparency and human dignity.”
The mom’s attorney, Shannon Clark, celebrated the legal victory.
She told the Daily Mail: “We’re grateful to Judge Whitten for carefully balancing the important interests at stake and allowing a narrow but meaningful redaction…
“These redactions do not alter any material facts of the accident, but they protect the dignity of a little boy whose memory should reflect the love and light he brought to the world…
“This decision allows them, and the public, to remember him for the beautiful life he lived, not the tragic way it ended.”
Emilie has since asked for privacy as she continues to grieve.
In her lawsuit, Emilie’s attorneys said that she’s going through “every parent’s worst nightmare,” according to court documents seen by The U.S. Sun.
“Emilie is trying her best to be there for her surviving son, 2-month-old Theodore,” said the suit.
“But every day is a battle.”
It comes after Emilie’s stepbrother posted a sad clip on TikTok about “moving forward.”
THE Cosby Show actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mom has broken her silence on her son’s tragic death after more details have emerge about his drowning.
Malcolm, 54, was dragged into the ocean by a strong rip current after going for a swim in waters off the coast of Cocles, a beach in Limon, Costa Rica.
Malcolm, one of the stars of the 1980s sitcom, was in Costa Rica, about three hours southeast of the capital of San Jose, enjoying a family holiday when he drowned.
Three weeks since the star’s death, the actor’s mom Pamela Warner has now revealed that her son “did not suffer” in his final moments.
Sharing an an emotional message on the newly-created Instagram page, Malcolm-Jamal Warner Living Legacy, she said: “For those of you who are at a loss, pained by the suddenness of his departure, ache for his presence or just to hear his voice one more time, to see his beatific smile one more time, be comforted that he was at peace and more importantly, he did not suffer.”
“Malcolm was birthed through water and transitioned through water,” she added. “This was his time. His mission on earth had been completed.”
She then encouraged loved ones and fans to “hold close to whatever part of Malcolm’s life that touched yours.”
“In keeping it near, you keep his spirit alive — nourishing you with the peace, love, joy and light that embodied Malcolm-Jamal Warner,” Pamela added.
She said her son was an “exceptional husband, father, and son — a man deeply in love with life, his wife, and his daughter.”
“He was not only my son, but also my teacher, coach, confidant, business partner, and best friend. He was the son that his father was immensely proud of and loved fiercely and unconditionally,” the grieving mom wrote.
Pamela said: “Malcolm left an indelible mark on the world and on countless hearts. All who met him, however briefly, were better for the encounter.”
Further details surrounding the TV star’s sad passing have also emerged.
The Costa Rican Caribbean lifeguards said fellow beachgoers pulled the actor’s body from the waters back onto shore, but the actor had no vital signs.
“He was pulled underwater with no vital signs, and despite CPR on the beach, he was unsuccessful,” Costa Rican officials said in a statement on Facebook.
An autopsy confirmed Warner died from asphyxiation by submersion, the Costa Rican police forensic pathology department said.
Malcolm’s death was ultimately ruled accidental.
Warner began his stardom on “The Cosby Show” as character Theodore Huxtable, earning him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
He then went on to play Malcolm McGee in the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, and starred in shows like Reed Between the Lines, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story: Freak Show, and Suits.
Warner was also a voice actor in The Magic School Bus, an iconic children’s television show that aired in the 90s.
Alongside acting, Warner was a poet and a bass player, earning his first Grammy in 2015 for “Best Traditional R&B Performance as a Featured Performer.”
Most recently, he hosted the podcast Not All Hood, which “takes a provocative look at the vastly different lived experiences and identities of Blacks in America,” according to its website.
Malcolm was best remembered for his work on The Cosby Show as Theodore Huxtable, the hilarious son of Bill Cosby‘s Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable.
The Cosby Show became a smash hit 30 years ago, with the actor playing the only son of Cosby’s character in the sitcom from 1984 to 1992.
Malcolm previously reflected on his time on the iconic sitcom, telling People in 2023, and said: “I know I can speak for all the cast when I say The Cosby Show is something that we are all still very proud of.
“We share a unique experience that keeps us lovingly bonded no matter how much time goes between seeing or hearing from each other.”
Actor Bill Cosby, the disgraced actor who was jailed in 2018 then freed after his sexual assault conviction was overturned, said the news of Malcolm’s passing reminded him of his own son’s murder.
“When Bill got the call that Warner died on vacation in Costa Rica, it reminded him of being in the studio filming ‘The Cosby Show’ in January 1997, when he got a call informing him that his son Ennis Cosby was shot dead in a failed robbery attempt,” Cosby’s representative, Andrew Wyatt, told TMZ.
Cosby’s representative went on to say how Malcolm and Ennis used to play when they were younger and the pair were “amazing together.”
Malcolm is survived by his wife and daughter.
THE suspect in the shooting near a CDC building and the Emory University Campus in Georgia has been named as Patrick Joseph White.
The 30-year-old from Kennesaw, Georgia, was named by officials who confirmed White died alongside hero police officer David Rose after gunfire broke out on Friday evening.
Cops believe White opened fire outside the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention headquarters which sent bullets flying across the nearby university campus.
Officer Rose was struck by one of these bullets and died on scene while White was later found dead in a nearby building that houses a CVS store.
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