Tax-free shopping in Va., Md. this weekend

If you'd like to save a few dollars on those back-to-school purchases, it's a great weekend to shop in Maryland and Virginia. Both jurisdictions are sponsoring sales tax holidays.

Virginia's starts Friday and runs through Sunday. Shoppers won't have to pay sales tax on clothing purchases under $100 and school supply purchases under $20. That's an automatic 5 percent discount for those of you keeping track. Here's a handy Q&A on how the program works from the folks at the Virginia Department of Taxation. There will be another sales tax holiday in October that will apply to Energy Star and Water Sense products.

Maryland's sales tax holiday kicks off Sunday lasts through next Saturday. Sales tax will not be charged on apparel and footwear purchases of $100 or less -- a 6 percent savings. Alas, accessories are not included in the deal. Questions? Here's a handy Maryland Q&A on tax-free shopping.

Maryland and Virginia join a growing number of states offering tax-free shopping holidays. But not all jurisdictions agree it's a good idea. Shoppers in D.C. won't be getting any sales tax holidays. District officials killed tax holidays in 2009 out of concern the city was losing too much revenue. According to estimates, D.C. was losing $1.3 million in revenue as a result of tax-free shopping days.

Looking for some bargains? Check out our Twitter sales aggregator.