How Ohio tax holiday will affect your food spending

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio’s sales tax holiday runs Aug. 1-14, and people around the state will notice costs at stores will be a little cheaper.

This year’s tax holiday is the longest so far at two weeks. In Franklin County, customers save up to 8% in local and state sales taxes over that period.

At grocery stores, consumers may not notice a big difference in their bill because of rules regarding Ohio’s sales tax.

Annie Masters with Weiland’s Market in Columbus said a majority of its products are already tax-free.

“Anything edible is not taxed,” Masters said. “Anything household, greeting cards, flowers, dog food, any sorts of things like that, they are taxed.”

All food items are always tax-free, but if you have birthdays coming up, want to load up on soda pop, or need to buy some aluminum foil, those items will be cheaper during the tax holiday.

“If you want to stock up on your pet food, now would be the time to do it without being taxed for it,” Masters said.

Restaurants are a different story. All dine-in meals will not be taxed during the two-week holiday.

Typically, when you sit down and eat at a restaurant, the meal does include tax. It’s why some people may choose to get takeout and save some money.

“Since most to-go food isn't taxed, a lot of people like to eat to-go food, but Katalina's is all about community and customers and our vibe,” Katalina’s Café founder Kathleen Day said.

Day said everything on Katalina’s menus will be completely tax-free. She is hoping to see more dine-in customers and maybe even a boost in sales.

“It’s extended, so that's great for the customer,” Day said. “We're going to promote it on social. I think everyone's going to be really excited about that. Anything helps right now. This just gives them a little relief in a time of price sensitivity.”

There are some exceptions to the tax break, like alcohol, tobacco and marijuana products.

Staff at Katalina’s and Weiland’s are expecting business to be a bit busier during the sales tax holiday. They said everyone is trained and ready to handle extra customers looking for a cheaper bill.