LANSING, Mich. (Aug. 27, 2025) — With the start of the school season officially upon us, many families across Michigan are feeling the financial pinch with their back-to-school shopping this year as the tariff-driven costs of school supplies, clothing, and everyday essentials continue to soar. Last week, in an effort to tackle these rising prices and help Michiganians save on their back-to-school shopping list, Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) introduced legislation to implement a Back-to-School tax holiday and allow residents to claim a refund for sales and use taxes paid on eligible purchases during an annual two-week period.
“The start of the new school season should be an exciting time, but thanks to skyrocketing prices fueled by Trump’s reckless tariffs, many families across the state are instead feeling the burden of trying to afford their back-to-school shopping list on top of their already increasing everyday expenses,” said Sen. Irwin. “From helping them save on backpacks and notebooks to new shoes for their kiddos, this legislation would not only deliver economic relief that Michiganians need — it would also ensure our students are set up for success in the classroom from day one.”
With tariff-driven inflation on the rise, many major retailers, like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and Costco, have announced their plans to continue increasing prices. And, the burden of ballooning prices is already being felt across the country, with about 20% of back-to-school shoppers saying buying supplies for the new year is straining their budgets, according to one recently released report, and a separate report showing that 39% of parents can’t afford their back-to-school shopping altogether.
In response, Senate Bills 498 and 499 would help alleviate some of the financial strain felt by Michigan families during the back-to-school season by allowing them to submit a claim for a sales and use tax refund on their school supplies and clothing purchases made from August 8-24. Residents would direct claims to the state Treasury department within 30 days of their eligible transactions, along with their receipts.
Eligible purchases for the sales and tax use refund include school supplies like binders, book bags, calculators, crayons, notebooks, lunchboxes, pencils, rulers, and more — as long as each individual item is less than $20. Clothing items must be $100 or less to be eligible. Purchases for accessories, sports gear or protective equipment do not qualify.
This legislation has been referred to the Senate Committee on Education for further consideration.