Massachusetts

• Tax holiday dates: Aug. 16 to Aug. 17
• General exempt items: Most retail purchases are exempt from sales tax as long as the item does not exceed $2,500. The items must be for personal use; goods bought by companies or even by individuals for business use are still taxable.
• Notable exceptions: As in past years, all motor vehicles -- cars, cycles and boats -- are still subject to the state's 5 percent sales tax.

More information will be available on Massachusett's main Department of Revenue Web site.

Missouri

• Tax holiday dates: Aug. 1 to Aug. 3
• General exempt items: Missouri will show shoppers a state sales-tax break on clothing and footwear items worth $100 or less; school supplies priced at $50 or less; personal computers bought for $3,500 or less; computer peripheral equipment also priced at $3,500 or less; and software costing $350 or less.
• Notable exceptions: Many of the state's cities, counties and other taxing districts will continue to collect local sales-tax levies. In nonparticipating jurisdictions, only Missouri's 4.225-percent state sales tax will be excluded from eligible sales during that weekend.

More information is available on Missouri's sales-tax holiday Web site.

New Mexico

• Tax holiday dates: Aug. 1 to Aug. 3
• General exempt items: Shoppers will find this state even more enchanting this weekend, when clothing, shoes, computers and associated peripherals and school supplies are sales-tax exempt. Eligible clothing must cost less than $100, computers less than $1,000 and peripherals less than $500. There is no price associated with school supplies, but the law does require that the supplies be items that "students normally use in a standard classroom for educational purposes." Among the items specified are notebooks, paper, writing instruments and crayons.
• Notable exceptions: The tax holiday law specifically excludes watches, radios, compact disc players, headphones, sporting equipment, portable desktop telephones, copiers, office equipment, furniture or fixtures. These items, say lawmakers, are not considered to be school supplies that students normally use in a standard classroom.

More information is available on New Mexico's sales-tax holiday Web page.

North Carolina

• Tax holiday dates: Aug. 1 to Aug. 3
• General exempt items: North Carolina's state tax will not be collected on clothing, footwear and school supplies costing $100 or less per item; sports and recreation equipment priced at $50 or less per item; computers of $3,500 or less per item; and computer supplies of $250 or less.
• Notable exceptions: Some people view sewing or knitting as recreational. The hobby usually produces clothing. But the state specifically says that fabric, thread, yarn and "other such items purchased to make clothing" remain taxable this weekend.

More information is available on North Carolina's sales-tax holiday Web page.