The North Carolina Department of Revenue has announced that the state's sales tax holiday beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday August 5, 2011 and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday August 7, 2011, will apply to clothing, footwear, and school supplies of $100 or less per item; school instructional materials of $300 or less per item; sports and recreational equipment of $50 or less per item; computers of $3,500 or less per item; and computer supplies of $250 or less per item. Retailers may not charge sales taxes and require taxpayers to request refunds of those taxes, either from the retailer or the Department. Participation in the sales tax holiday is required, and retailers may not “opt out” of the holiday. Discounts from retailers' coupons are deducted from the price of an item before eligibility for the exemption is determined; whereas, manufacturers' coupons are not deducted from the sales price before determining eligibility for the sales tax exemption. Rebates do not affect the sales price of an item for the sales tax holiday. In addition, the Department has released a list of frequently asked questions about the August sales tax holiday and a list of items exempt during the August sales tax holiday.

http://www.dornc.com/press/holiday.html