North Carolina sales tax holiday for energy-efficient appliances starts today

November 2, 2012

Things are really getting exciting in North Carolina.

Not only are Tar Heel State residents getting added attention from the presidential candidates — it's still considered a swing state — purchasers of energy-efficient appliances this weekend won't have to pay any sales tax.

That's right. North Carolina's annual fall Energy Star sales tax holiday begins today, Friday, Nov. 2, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 4.

During
these three days, certain appliances that meet energy-saving standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the
Department of Energy are sales tax free.

Just look for the Energy Star label on clothes washers, freezers, refrigerators,
central air conditioners, room air conditioners, air-source heat pumps,
ceiling fans, dehumidifiers and programmable thermostats.

Energy_star_appliance


There is no price floor or ceiling for products to qualify for exemption from sales and use taxes during the holiday.

Good to go:
You must, however, be ready for the appliance to be installed in your home.

That
means, says the state's Department of Revenue, you pay for the
product during the holiday time frame and the retailer accepts the order
and takes action to fill the order for immediate delivery.

If the delivery is delayed because of a backlog or because it's on back order by the seller, that's OK. You'll still get the product without paying any sales tax.

But if you ask the store to delay the delivery until, for example, you finish painting your laundry room, then get ready to pony up the sales tax.

No tax break for businesses: And sorry corporate customers. If you want to buy a new refrigerator for your office's lunch room, you'll still have to pay all applicable sales taxes.

Details on the sales tax holiday are available in the North Carolina Department of Revenue's tax holiday bulletin or by calling the agency at 1-877-252-3052.

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Comments
  • Seattlegirluw
    14 years ago

    Interesting. This may be the smartest application of a sales tax holiday I’ve ever heard of.
    I love(d) skipping sales tax, but now we have to report online purchases on our state income tax forms. That said, we still pay a lower rate, since it’s at the state, not state & city rate. So there’s that.

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