Texans who purchase certain water-saving and energy efficient products during Memorial Day weekend can do so without paying taxes.
The state’s Water-Efficient Products and ENERGY STAR® sales tax holidays run from May 26 through May 28, 2018. Both programs can save Texans about $10.7 million, according to the Texas Comptroller’s office.
“These two holidays are a perfect time to save on state and local sales taxes while upgrading outdated water systems or inefficient appliances,” Comptroller Glenn Hegar said this week. He said Texas has 28 million people, and will grow to 50 million by 2070. He said it was important to protect valuable resources, like energy, water, and your money.
“One of the issues that we have to talk about is how we are going to meet that water supply for the future,” Hegar said.
Products with a WaterSense® logo, like showerheads, toilets, household faucets and outdoor lawncare appliances can be purchased tax-free. The Comptroller’s website lists the water-related products that qualify.
“You’re looking for that WaterSense® logo in order to save money,” plumber Mike Yazalina said.
“If you can save gallons every day, who knows how many gallons are going to save depending on the size of your family,’ Yazalina, who is a service manager at ABC Home & Commercial, said. “That savings is going to add up.”
Certain energy-efficient products may also be purchased tax-free if they display an ENERGY STAR® logo. Appliances like air conditioners (costing less than $6,000), refrigerators priced at $2,000 or less, fluorescent light bulbs, washing machines, ceiling fans and more, can all be purchased tax-free. A complete list of tax-free energy-saving products can be found here.
“Whether it’s personal use, corporate use, whether it’s outdoor or indoor, to be able to save dollars on sales tax as well as looking for the energy star logo for energy savings,” Hegar said.
“I want to highlight to encourage shoppers to take advantage of those tax savings, but also to make sure that people have that mindset, as we move forward not just this weekend but into the coming weeks and years, every bit you can do to save, is money in your pocket as well as using the resources better that we have in the state of Texas,” Hegar explained.
