-
(Photo/Thomas Wallner) A Sales Tax Holiday will be held from April 25-27 for emergency supplies. Some eligible items include first aid kits, flashlights and household batteries.
A statewide Sales Tax Holiday will be held this weekend for emergency supplies to prepare residents for severe weather such as fires, floods and tornadoes.
Eligible items can be purchased tax free during the holiday that will be held from Saturday, April 25 through Monday, April 27. There is no limit on the number of qualifying items that can be purchased during the holiday.
“From hailstorms to hurricanes, Texans know the importance of being prepared when bad weather hits,” Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock said. “This sales tax holiday provides a great opportunity to stock up on supplies and save a little money while you’re at it.”
The comptroller’s office estimates that approximately $2.4 million will be saved in state and local sales taxes during the holiday.
Purchases that qualify for an exemption are household batteries, fuel containers and flashlights priced less than $75, emergency ladders priced less than $300 and portable generators priced less than $3,000.
Additionally, axes, hatchets, batteries, can openers, carbon monoxide detectors, coolers, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, light sources, radios, smoke detectors, tarps and plastic sheeting are also exempt from sales taxes during the holiday.
Purchases that do not qualify for an exemption are toilet paper, cleaning supplies, batteries for vehicles and boats, camping stoves and camping supplies, chainsaws, plywood, extension ladders and step ladders, tents and replacement parts for emergency preparation supplies.
For purchases made online, delivery, shipping, handing and transportation are part of the sales price. If the emergency preparation supply is taxable, the delivery charge is also taxable.
“For example, if you purchase a portable generator online for $2,999 with a $50 delivery charge, the total sales price is $3,049. Because the total sales price of the portable generator is more than $3,000, tax is due on the $3,049 sales price,” the comptroller’s office stated in a release.
If a state resident pays sales tax on these items during the holiday, they can ask the seller for a refund on the tax paid.
The seller can either grant the refund or provide the customer with a Form 00-985, Assignment of Right to Refund, which allows the purchases to file the refund claim directly with the comptroller’s office.
For more information about refund requests, contact the comptroller’s office at 800-531-5441, ext. 34545, or visit comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/sales/refunds/ for details on filling a refund claim.
