The Mississippi House defeated a proposal Friday to create a tax-free weekend for back-to-school clothes shopping.

Rep. Greg Snowden tried to add the proposal to a bill that creates tax exemptions for technology business incubators. He wanted to lift the state's seven percent sales tax from clothing on a Friday and Saturday each August.

The proposal would have covered clothing worth $100 or less. The exemption would be for all purchases in that category, regardless of the total tab.

However, the proposal was hit with sharp criticism from lawmakers who said Snowden didn't provide figures on how much money the tax-free weekend might take from the state treasury.

Rep. Tommy Reynolds says the state can't afford to lose revenue.

Legislators are in their final weeks of trying to create a balanced budget for the coming year, and they're struggling to pay for a host of programs, from schools to Medicaid to prisons.