Texas Shoppers Go Green to Save Green
Energy efficient products are tax exempt for 72 hours
By KEVIN COKELY
Updated 9:10 AM CST, Sat, May 23, 2009
Shopper throughout Texas will be saving both money and energy this Memorial Day Weekend, during the state's second annual Energy Star sales tax holiday.
For the next three days, many energy efficient appliances and other products are exempt from both state and local sales tax, saving some shoppers hundreds of dollars.
David Scrimshire of Dallas is shopping for a new refrigerator.
"We're looking for one 'cause we can't keep the ice cream frozen," Scrimshire lamented.
But he and his family held off until now to take advantage of the state's tax free weekend.
"That's driving it 'cause if you're looking at a thousand dollars, you save quite a bit of money there," Scrimshire said.
According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, the following products qualify for the sales tax exemption:
Air conditioners priced under $6,000 (room and central units)
Clothes washers (but not clothes dryers*)
Ceiling fans
Dehumidifiers
Dishwashers
Light bulbs (incandescent and fluorescent)
Programmable thermostats
Refrigerators priced under $2,000.
The tax-free holiday also applies to Internet and catalog sales of eligible products.
"I'd say it's quite a bit hyped up than it was last year," said Dallas Best Buy manager Richard Fennell. "We're expecting it to be crazy busy over the next three days."
Marcus Egarton of Dallas will save the tax on a new clothes washer.
"I really appreciate it," Egarton says. "The way things are going in this economy, thank God for that."
The 2009 Energy Star sales tax holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 23, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 25.
First Published: May 22, 2009 7:53 PM CST
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