Kalamazoo Times

Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer is calling for a tax-free holiday for school supplies in hopes that it will provide help to families when they go school shopping.

Whitmer wants the proposal to be included in the bipartisan education budget MI Back to School Plan that she signed in July, according to a news release from the Michigan government.

“With this sales tax holiday, tax savings for an average family would probably be around $54.00 per child,” Louis Zemlick, president and owner of Zemlick’s, said in the release. Zemlick's is a 45-year-old office and school supplies store headquartered in Kalamazoo and serves all of southwest Michigan. 

“This is a big help to Michigan families and small businesses,” Zemlick said. The proposal would help parents and teachers save on school supplies, including computers.

“As families gear up for the school year, they should be able to get what they need without spending too much money out of pocket,” Whitmer said. “That’s why I’m putting forward the MI Back to School Plan, which includes a proposal to temporarily suspend the sales tax on school supplies. Getting this done would lower costs for parents, teachers, and students right now, and ensure that they have the resources to succeed. I will work with anyone to lower costs, cut taxes, and help our kids thrive. 

"Last month, I signed a bipartisan education budget—my fourth—which made the highest state per-student funding in Michigan history. We should build on this progress as we get ready for the next school year by enacting the MI Back to School Plan.”

Michigan would join 19 other states that already have a school-related tax holiday in place for classroom items, and a Deloitte report states that families will spend $661 a child this year, compared to $612 last year.  

Alex Bohr, a fourth-grade teacher at Gull Lake Community Schools, said that she spends $500 annually on classroom-related expenses.

“On top of school supplies, many of us also buy snacks for students whose families aren’t able to send snacks from home, so the kids can have something to eat during the day outside of lunch,” Bohr said. “All of these costs accumulate and can become a substantial financial burden, both for educators and parents. Gov. Whitmer’s proposal for a school sales tax holiday will help educators and families keep a little extra money in our wallets, so we can afford other basic necessities.”