1.    If a member state allows for temporary exemption periods, commonly referred to as sales tax holidays, the member state shall:

a.    Not apply an exemption unless the items to be exempted are specifically defined in part II or part III(B) of the library of definitions and the exemptions are uniformly applied to state and local sales and use taxes.

b.    Provide notice of the exemption period at least sixty days prior to the first day of the calendar month in which the exemption period will begin.

c.    Not apply an entity-based or use-based exemption except a member state may limit a product-based exemption to items purchased for personal or nonbusiness use.

d.    Not require a seller to obtain an exemption certificate or other certification from a purchaser for items to be exempted during a sales tax holiday.

2.    A member state may establish a sales tax holiday that utilizes price thresholds set by such state and the provisions of the agreement on the use of thresholds shall not apply to exemptions provided by a state during a sales tax holiday. In order to provide uniformity, a price threshold established by a member state for exempt items shall include only items priced below the threshold. A member state shall not exempt only a portion of the price of an individual item during a sales tax holiday.

3.    The following procedures are to be used by member states in administering a sales tax holiday exemption:

a.    Layaway sales. A sale of eligible property under a layaway sale qualifies for exemption if:

(1) Final payment on a layaway order is made by, and the property is given to, the purchaser during the exemption period; or

(2) The purchaser selects the property and the retailer accepts the order for the item during the exemption period, for immediate delivery upon full payment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period.

b.    Bundled sales. Member states will follow the same procedure during the sales tax holiday as agreed upon for handling a bundled sale at other times.

c.    Discounts and coupons. A discount by a seller reduces the sales price of the property and the discounted sales price determines whether the sales price is within a sales tax holiday price threshold of a member state. A coupon that reduces the sales price is treated as a discount if the seller is not reimbursed for the coupon amount by a third party. If a discount applies to the total amount paid by a purchaser rather than to the sales price of a particular item and the purchaser has purchased both eligible property and taxable property, the seller shall allocate the discount based on the total sales prices of the taxable property compared to the total sales prices of all property sold in that same transaction.

d.    Splitting of items normally sold together. Items that are normally sold as a single unit must continue to be sold in that manner and cannot be priced separately and sold as individual items in order to obtain a sales tax holiday.

e.    Rainchecks. A raincheck is a means to allow a customer to purchase an item at a certain price at a later time because the particular item was out of stock. Eligible property that is purchased during the exemption period with use of a raincheck qualifies for the exemption regardless of when the raincheck was issued. Issuance of a raincheck during the exemption period does not qualify eligible property for the exemption if the property is purchased after the exemption period.

    f.    Exchanges. The procedure for an exchange of eligible property purchased during a sales tax holiday is as follows:

(1) If a customer purchases an item of eligible property during the exemption period, and later exchanges the item for a similar eligible item, even if a different size, different color, or other feature, no additional tax is due if the exchange is made after the exemption period.

(2) If a customer purchases an item of eligible property during the exemption period, and returns the item and receives credit on the purchase of a different item after the exemption period, the appropriate sales tax is due on the sale of the newly purchased item.

(3) If a customer purchases an item of eligible property before the exemption period, returns the item, and receives credit on the purchase of a different item of eligible property during the exemption period, no sales tax is due on the sale of the new item if the new item is purchased during the exemption period.

g.    Delivery charges. Delivery charges, including shipping, handling, and service charges, are part of the sales price of eligible property unless a member state defines “sales price” to exclude such charges. For the purpose of determining a sales tax holiday price threshold, if all the property in a shipment qualifies as eligible property and the sales price for each item in the shipment is within the sales tax holiday price threshold, the seller does not have to allocate the delivery charge to determine if the price threshold is exceeded and the shipment will be considered a sale of eligible products. If the shipment includes eligible property and taxable property, including an eligible item with a sales price in excess of the price threshold, the seller should allocate the delivery charge by using:

(1) A percentage based on the total sales prices of the taxable property compared to the total sales prices of all property in the shipment; or

(2) A percentage based on the total weight of the taxable property compared to the total weight of all property in the shipment. The seller must tax the percentage of the delivery charge allocated to the taxable property but is not required to tax the percentage allocated to the eligible property.

h.    Order date and back orders. For the purpose of a sales tax holiday, eligible property qualifies for exemption if:

(1) The item is both delivered to and paid for by the customer during the exemption period; or

(2) The customer orders and pays for the item and the seller accepts the order during the exemption period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period. For purposes of this subsection, the seller accepts an order when the seller has taken action to fill the order for immediate shipment. Actions to fill an order include placement of an “in date” stamp on a mail order or assignment of an “order number” to a telephone order. An order is for immediate shipment when the customer does not request delayed shipment. An order is for immediate shipment notwithstanding that the shipment may be delayed because of a backlog of orders or because stock is currently unavailable to or on back order by the seller.

i.    Returns. For a sixty-day period immediately after the sales tax holiday exemption period, when a customer returns an item that would qualify for the exemption, no credit for or refund of sales tax shall be given unless the customer provides a receipt or invoice that shows tax was paid, or the seller has sufficient documentation to show that tax was paid on the specific item. This sixty day period is solely for the purpose of designating a time period during which the customer must provide documentation that shows that sales tax was paid on returned merchandise. The sixty-day period does not require the seller to change the seller’s policy on the time period during which the seller will accept returns.

    j. Different time zones. The time zone of the seller’s location determines the authorized time period for a sales tax holiday when the purchaser is located in one time zone and a seller is located in another.