MONTGOMERY – The upcoming sales tax holiday will be a big help to small businesses still struggling to recover from the recession, says Rosemary Elebash, state director of NFIB/Alabama, the state’s largest small-business association. This year's holiday is Aug. 5-7.

“Our country may be two years into the economic recovery, but small-business owners are still worried, especially when it comes to consumer spending,” Elebash said.  

Weak sales continues to rank as the No. 1 challenge facing the nation’s small businesses, according to NFIB’s Small Business Economic Trends Report for July. (Click here to learn more and download the full report.) 

“The sales-tax holiday is really going to make a difference, because it’s going to help families stretch a dollar," Elebash said. "It's going to put people in the mood to spend, and we’re hoping they’ll use this opportunity to support the local economy and shop at small businesses. Small business is what drives Alabama's economy,” she said.  

According to the most recent figures from the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses account for 97 percent of all employers in the state and employ about half of the state’s private-sector workforce.