Iowa Sales Tax Holiday Starts Friday; Are Adult Diapers On Your List?

Iowa's sales tax holiday is coming up fast -- Friday and Saturday to be more precise. Are you ready?

For those not in the know, the tax-free holiday means no sales tax on all the essential clothing and footwear you might need for back-to-school. Here in Black Hawk County, that equates to a savings of up to 6 percent on everything from socks, shoes and shirts to pants, pajamas and adult diapers...

What? Adult diapers? Yeah, you read that right.

A real funny guy must have decided what items are taxable and what items are exempt during Iowa's sales tax holiday. For example, shoes are tax free unless they have cleats. Shoulder pads for dresses and jackets are exempt (even if they're no longer in style) but shoulder pads for protection are not (footballers need not apply.)

If you're getting married, this might be a good time to buy your wedding apparel. Bridal gowns, veils and even tuxedos are tax exempt. The alterations are still taxable (sorry!). Heck, even lingerie for the honeymoon is tax-free.

The much-needed backpack, a staple of back-to-school, is -- unfortunately -- taxable, but if you're in the market for a fur coat or a new mink stole, well, they're tax-free.

And about those adult diapers? Yeah, you might want to stock up. All diapers, in fact, are tax exempt Friday and Saturday. Why? I have no idea.

Any store that is open from midnight Aug. 3 to midnight Aug. 5 is required to participate. The Iowa Department of Revenue says that if any item bought on the sales tax holiday is exchanged later, the buyer will not have to pay taxes on the new item. Nice.

Check out the list here or take a read through the PDF at right.