Sales Tax Holiday This Weekend; Where Will You Shop in Newton?

As part of the jobs bill the Massachusetts Legislature approved last week, lawmakers passed a two-day tax holiday.

The 115-page bill, passed on Tuesday, included a two-day holiday on the weekend of Aug. 11 and 12 from the state's 6.25 percent sales tax, according to the Boston Globe. 

Excluded from the tax holiday are restaurant meals, cars, motorboats, tobacco and any item that costs more than $2,500. To offset the loss of revenue, Gov. Deval Patrick set aside $20 million in a supplemental budget he filed early last month.

So, where will you be shopping in Newton? Tell us in the comments below!

With a number of village centers and shopping malls, Newton has a wide range of opportunities to take advantage of this weekend's sales tax holiday. Most villages include some retail, but here are a few key spots to check out:

• Newton Centre (Union Street, Centre Street, Langley Road) - Named , Newton Centre has boutiques galore. Save on high-end clothes at or , and jewelry at . And don't forget about the new location.
• Newton Highlands (Lincoln Street) - Although some businesses like Bead & Pearl and X-Hale Boutique have moved out, there are still a number of shopping options in the Highlands including jewelry at  and consignment finds at . 
• Needham Street Shopping District - In less than a mile, this retail corridor has every type of shop you could need on a tax-free weekend. But make a plan! There will likely be lots of traffic this weekend, so strategize where you want to go and how you want to shop.
• Chestnut Hill Shopping Center (Boylston Street) - It may be a bit of a construction zone right now, but the Chestnut Hill shopping center has a few options to spend your tax-free retail money this weekend including , and Portobello Road.
• The Mall at Chestnut Hill(Boylston Street) - From makeup to clothes, kitchen gadgets to designer bags, the has a variety of stores ready for the tax free weekend.
• The Atrium Mall (Boylston Street) - Although the stores in the are dwindling (down to just 10 or so), there are a few left you can check out this weekend including , and . 

Massachusetts was one of 17 states in the country to offer a in 2011, according to Forbes. With the exception of 2009, the state has held a tax holiday every summer for the past nine years. 

The bill also allows for $30 million in state grants to spur economic development, particularly in scientific research and advanced technology manufacturing, the Globe reports.