Illinois Will Not Have A Sales Tax Holiday In 2023

Parents, if you're waiting for a sales tax holiday in Illinois to get the kids ready for school, prepare to be disappointed.

Officials told NBC Chicago that the sales tax holiday was just in place for last August. It was only approved for 2022 and won't be making a return next month, according to a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Revenue.

A spokesperson for Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office told the outlet:

Last year’s sales-tax free holiday was always designed to be a one-time measure to help fight inflation because the state had a surplus to work with. Thanks to the actions taken by President Biden, the Inflation Reduction Act is working as intended and we are seeing inflation ease throughout the nation. Governor Pritzker has been clear about his desire to cut taxes for working families, but he has also been clear that since all revenue from the grocery tax goes to local governments there would be a need to replace that revenue if this tax cut were to become permanent. The governor is committed to ensuring the state continues to live within its means while using surplus revenue to lift up working families as he did when he implemented temporary tax cuts last year.

Meanwhile, across the river, Iowa's sales tax holiday is coming up on the first weekend in August.

While it's not on par with a sales tax holiday, Illinois does offer education expense credit on parents' tax returns. The total credit can't be over $750, but parents can get a 25% tax credit on eligible back-to-school expenses exceeding $250.