This weekend’s sales tax holiday will aid back-to-school shopping.

Finally, it’s in time for school shopping

After years of complaints from Tennessee shoppers that the annual sales tax holiday weekend came too late for them to actually do back-to-school shopping, this year is different.

Tennessee’s sales tax holiday will now be one weekend earlier — before school starts — thanks to the legislature changing the law and setting the holiday on the last weekend in July instead of the first weekend in August.

It brings the Tennessee tax holiday in line with the same date as in Mississippi.

In Tennessee, starting Friday at 12:01 a.m. through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, you’ll save either 9.25 or 9.75 percent on clothing, school supplies and computers, along with other items classified by the Tennessee Department of Revenue as exempt from sales tax for this one weekend.

The reason for the different rates is that the local sales tax rate varies by 0.5 percent in different parts of the Memphis area.

Consumers will not pay state or local sales tax on clothing, school and art supplies that cost $100 or less per item and computers that cost $1,500 or less.

Tennessee had its first sales tax holiday in 2006.

Mississippi’s Tax Free Weekend also will begin midnight Friday and run until midnight Saturday.

In Arkansas, the sale tax holiday will begin 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, and end the next day at 11:59 p.m.