If you’re in the market for new clothes or school supplies, hurricane preparedness items or an energy efficient appliance, this is the perfect weekend to go shopping.

Legislation enacted during the 2015 General Assembly combined three existing sales tax holidays into one, three-day holiday beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ending at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Prior Virginia law allowed for three separate periods during which specified tangible personal property could be purchased exempt of the Retail Sales and Use Tax: a weeklong exemption on hurricane preparedness items in May, a three-day exemption on school supplies and clothing in August, and a four-day exemption on items designated as Energy Star or WaterSense in October. The legislation consolidates all three of these holidays into the same August weekend each year. For 2016 and subsequent years, there will be no separate hurricane preparedness tax holiday held in May, nor a separate Energy Star or WaterSense tax holiday i...