Va. Energy-Savings Sales Tax-Holiday Begins Friday

Virginia’s eighth annual sales-tax holiday for energy-efficient products starts Friday, Oct. 10 and continues through Monday, Oct. 13.

During this time, consumers can buy certain Energy Star and WaterSense qualified items for personal or non-commercial use (costing $2,500 or less).

Qualifying Energy Star items include:

• Air conditioners
• Ceiling fans
• Dehumidifiers
• Clothes washers/washing machines
• Compact fluorescent light bulbs
• Dishwashers
• Refrigerators

Tax-exempt WaterSense items include:

• Bathroom sink faucets
• Faucet accessories
• Landscape irrigation controllers
• Showerheads
• Toilets
• Urinals

Retailers may also choose to absorb the tax on other items during the holiday season, according to the Virginia Department of Taxation.

Not every product bearing an Energy Star label qualifies for the sales-tax holiday. For example, though an existing statute grants sales-tax holiday exemption to programmable thermostats, the Energy Star specification for programmable thermostats has since been suspended. A list of Energy Star items can be found at the following website: www.energystar.gov.

If unqualified products are sold together with merchandise that qualifies for tax exemption, such as stacked Energy Star washers and driers or combination refrigerator/freezers, the full unit will qualify for the sales-tax holiday (provided the full unit cost does not exceed $2,500).

A complete list of tax-exempt items can be found at http://www.tax.virginia.gov.

Image: Energy Star / WaterSense (Source: Wikipedia)