VIDALIA &8212; Louisiana is

giving buyers extra incentive to spend some money this weekend.

The state legislature approved a sales tax holiday for Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the special session held in November. For three days, stores will not charge the four percent state sales tax on most purchases up to $2,500.

&8220;There was so much emphasis on making sure businesses could get back up and running (in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina),&8221; Rep. Bryant Hammett said. &8220;At some point, we asked &8216;Are we doing enough to help the average citizen too?&8217; We came up with the idea for a sales tax holiday.&8221;

The holiday means nearly all purchases will not be charged sales tax, Hammett said. Items that must be titled, including homes and cars, will still be charged sales tax. Purchases of more than $2,500 for non-titled items will be charged sales tax on only the portion of the purchase that exceeds

$2,500. Local sales tax will still be charged.

Louisiana has never conducted a sales tax holiday, but the practice is common in states across the country. Texas has a two-day holiday in August each year designed to let parents buy clothing and school supplies for students.

Louisiana&8217;s holiday will cover a broader range of purchases than almost any other state&8217;s holiday, Hammett said.

&8220;We first looked at just doing a one-day holiday with a very limited type of items it would apply