21 July 2005 (Thursday)
break, part two
Well, the bill to extend the tax-free shopping weekend (to rather inconveniently include Tisha B'Av) has been passed. The vote was 145-7, too. I just hope those 145 legislators feel the same way the next time around, given that this won't be doing us much good next month.
BS"D
Crazy, man. I wish we could get anything tax-free in Canada...
Maybe there's a heter [permission] for hefsed merubeh [incurring great financial loss], although probably not on Tisha Be'Av itself. (The LHA's brief summary of hilkhot bein hametzarim [the laws of the 3 weeks] this evening said that one should avoid buying new products that would require a sheheyanu during the 3 weeks, but that in a case of hefsed merubeh, which included sales, it was mutar to buy it.)
Right, but there are two problems with using that heter in this case. One, as you pointed out, is that this date falls on Tisha B'Av itself, which is more problematic than just "during the three weeks." The other is that none of these purchases probably will have the effect of severe financial loss; sales tax in MA is only 5%, and the maximum cost per exempt item is $2,500 (resultant sales tax saved: $125).
