8 sales-tax holidays for appliances, storm supplies

Feb 062013

February 6, 2013 Posted by Leah Ingram Home & Garden, Hot Deals

Most shoppers think of a sales-tax holiday as the time during the summer when states help parents save money on back-to-school shopping by temporarily dropping state sales tax.

Turns out there are other times and other reasons for sales-tax holidays.

Starting in February, a handful of states have sales-tax holidays specifically for home goods, including energy-efficient appliances and supplies to help prepare your house for a storm.

Here are eight sales-tax holiday dates, some starting this month, that focus exclusively on items for the home:

Feb. 16-18, 2013, Maryland
Called the Shop Maryland Energy weekend, this three-day event focuses on Energy Star-rated appliances and supplies to help Maryland homeowners save money by buying energy-efficient products. The state waives its normal 6% sales tax when residents buy the following:

Air conditioners
Boilers
Clothes washers
Compact fluorescent light bulbs
Dehumidifiers
Furnaces
Heat pumps
Programmable thermostats
Solar water heaters (tax-exempt at all times now)
Standard size refrigerators

Feb. 22-24, 2013, Alabama
During Alabama’s sales-tax holiday, residents are encouraged to invest in “certain severe-weather preparedness supplies free of state sales or use tax.” Alabama residents can download a PDF that lists all the items – including plywood, plastic drop cloths and portable generators – that they can buy tax-free during this period.

April 19-25, 2013, Missouri
The Show-Me State’s “Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday” is all about getting residents to upgrade to energy-efficient appliances, specifically, certain Energy Star-qualified appliances. As long as the following have an Energy Star rating, Missouri residents won’t have to pay sales tax on new:

Air conditioners
Clothes washers
Dishwashers
Freezers
Furnaces
Heat pumps
Refrigerators
Water heaters

May 25-26, 2013, Louisiana
Hurricane season doesn’t start officially until June 1, but the state of Louisiana wants to make sure that its residents are prepared, so it has this two-day sales tax holiday for hurricane preparedness gear. Residents don’t pay sales tax on the first $1,500 spent on the following:

Portable, self-powered light source
Portable, self-powered radio, two-way radio, or weather band radio
Tarpaulin or other flexible waterproof sheeting
Ground anchor system or tie-down kit
Gas or diesel fuel tank
AAA-cell, AA-cell, C-cell, D-cell, 6-volt, or 9-volt batteries, excluding automobile and boat batteries
Cellular phone batteries and cellular phone chargers
Non-electric food storage cooler
Portable generator used to provide light or communications or preserve food in the event of a power outage
“Storm shutter device” as defined in the Act
Carbon monoxide detector
Blue ice product

May 25-27, 2013, Texas
Over Memorial Day weekend, Texas residents can save big (just like the state of Texas) on certain energy-efficient appliances by not having to pay state sales tax or use tax. Here are the items that qualify to be exempt from tax and any spending limits that apply:

Air conditioners priced at $6,000 or less
Refrigerators priced at $2,000 or less
Ceiling fans
Incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs
Clothes washers
Dishwashers
Dehumidifiers

If you live in Texas and want to take advantage of this sales-tax holiday, be sure to visit this Texas state government page to get details on how shoppers who buy via catalog sales, the Internet or layaway plans can also save.

May 25-31, 2013, Virginia
Like Louisiana, the Commonwealth of Virginia would like to ensure its residents are ready for hurricane season – or any other emergency – and offers a six-day sales-tax holiday starting Memorial Day weekend. Focusing on hurricane and emergency preparedness equipment, the basic shopping guidelines include that portable generators must be priced at $1,000 or less, and other eligible items must be priced at $60 or less each to be exempt from sales tax.

Oct. 11-14, 2013, Virginia
This is the second of Virginia’s sales-tax holidays that involve products for the home. This time around it rewards residents who buy Energy Star-rated products and what the Commonwealth calls “WaterSense Qualified Products.” Everything bought must come in under $2,500 and be purchased for home use only – sorry, businesses. Exempt items include:

Air conditioners
Bathroom sink faucets
Ceiling fans
Clothes washers
Compact fluorescent light bulbs
Dishwashers
Faucet accessories
Programmable thermostats
Refrigerators
Toilets

Nov. 1-3, 2013, North Carolina
Here is how the North Carolina’s Department of Revenue describes its Energy Star sales-tax holiday that occurs the first week of November: “Clothes washers, freezers, refrigerators, central air conditioners, room air conditioners, air-source heat pumps, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers and programmable thermostats will be exempt from state and local sales and use tax when purchased during the sales-tax holiday period.”

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Leah Ingram

Leah Ingram is a lifestyle and frugal-living expert, and the author of two books that focus on living more on less: Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier on Less and Toss, Keep, Sell: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Getting Organized and Making Money from Your Stuff. She is a regular contributor of frugal-living segments for the "10! Show" on NBC 10 in Philadelphia and has appeared on "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric," “Good Morning America,” and CNBC’s “Market Wrap." Leah also writes for national publications, including All You, Continental, Executive Travel, Good Housekeeping and Parenting, and blogs daily on NBC Universal's Home Goes Strong . She's the creator of the nationally syndicated money-saving blog Suddenly Frugal and Philly on the Cheap.

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