  Today marks the urlLink fifth annual tax-free weekend in Iowa , evidence that all people are libertarians at their core. Why? Because while every store has 50% off sales, none of them garner the response as much as shedding Iowa’s 7% sales tax for clothes and shoes costing less than $100. Here in Davenport, the response is messy and comparable to a strong Christmas weekend. People even come in from neighboring states to take advantage.
(I’ll be braving the crowds tomorrow. Wish me luck. ) Even the best store sales don’t generate this kind of response. Granted, such sales only happen in one store while the tax-free weekend is state-wide but the average back-to-school shopper (the group the weekend is aimed to help) only spends $483 per household—that’s just $31.65 for taxes. Is that really comparable to 30, 40 or 50% off back to school sales that are just weeks away? Doubtful. In Moline, a neighboring city in Illinois, many stores have 7% off sales to try to keep people in the state.
But every year I see a lot of Illinois plates in the mall parking lot. Aside from all the free media the weekend generates, I think people also get a bit of joy out of paying for something without paying taxes. I think everyone likes the idea of having a transaction with as little government as possible. I think everyone, in their heart of hearts, is a libertarian. 
