Tax-Free Holiday Helps Conserve Water, Energy

Georgians will be able to purchase certain water- and energy-saving products without paying sales tax during the tax-free holiday Oct. 2 through Oct. 5.

“This is a great opportunity to save money on products that will help conserve some of our state’s natural resources,” said Pamela Turner, a housing specialist with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

During the holiday, products with a WaterSense or ENERGY STAR label purchased for noncommercial or personal use will be state and local sales tax free. Specific faucets, toilets, refrigerators and dishwashers, light bulbs and air conditioners are on the list. Online purchases delivered to Georgia addresses are eligible for the sales tax exemption, too.

WaterSense

WaterSense-labeled products can add up to real savings. “If one out of every four Georgia households would use WaterSense-labeled bathroom fixtures it could save nearly 10 billion gallons of water a year,” she said.

Toilets with the WaterSense label use 20 percent less water than the current federal standard for toilets. The faucets and accessories reduce water flow by 30 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. All products must meet EPA criteria before earning the WaterSense label.

ENERGY STAR

A broad range of products marked with the ENERGY STAR logo will be tax-free. Specifically, though, the exemption applies to dishwashers, clothes washers, air conditioners, ceiling fans, compact fluorescent light bulbs, dehumidifiers, programmable thermostats, refrigerators, doors and windows.

Products must be less than $1,500 and purchased for personal use.

An ENERGY STAR refrigerator uses less electricity than a 75-watt light bulb. When compared to a refrigerator made before 1993, according to the EPA, it can save up to $60 a year on energy.

To earn the ENERGY STAR rating, a refrigerator must be at least 20 percent more efficient than the national standard. Dishwashers must be 25 percent more efficient. Washing machines with the rating save enough water to wash an additional 300 loads of laundry and save up to $55 a year in energy costs.

Replacing standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones saves energy, too. Compact fluorescent bulbs use 68 percent less energy than a standard bulb and last 10 times longer, according to the EPA.

To learn more about ENERGY STAR go to the Web site www.energystar.gov. To learn more about WaterSense go to www.epa.gov/watersense.

Some Georgia counties offer rebates for high-efficiency toilets. For a list of counties that do go to www.epa.gov/watersense/pp/find_rebate.htm.

By April Sorrow
University of Georgia

April Sorrow is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

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Tax-Free Holiday, Sales Combine for Big Savings

Chances are your child will need clothes, school supplies and maybe even a computer before the school year rolls around. To lessen the budgetary blow, purchase these items during Georgia’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, says a financial expert with the University of Georgia.
The holiday will be July 31 - Aug. 3. During this tax-free window certain purchases will be exempt from state and local sales taxes. Clothing, personal computers and accessories and school supplies are on the tax-free list.

Clothing, including shoes, is exempt from sales tax as long as the item costs $100 or less. Jewelry, watches or watchbands, eye wear, handbags and umbrellas are not exempt.

For computers and accessories for personal use, the tax-free limit is $1,500 for a single purchase. UGA Cooperative Extension consumer economics specialist Michael Rupured urges consumers to take a tally of their computer-related items before heading to the register.

“If the purchase exceeds $1,500, the entire purchase is not exempt from the sales tax,” he said. “Aside from that limitation, practically anything needed to setup and operate a computer at home is exempt.”

To avoid missing out on the tax break, Rupured suggests purchasing computer hardware at one store and software and other accessories at another. And, before you make any computer purchase, do a little window shopping to see which retailer offers the best bargain.

School supplies up to $20 per item are also exempt from the sales tax during the holiday. Make a list of the school supplies your child will need to avoid making unnecessary purchases.

Saving 6 or 7 percent on purchases may not sound like much, but coupling this break with retail sales can result in a substantial savings, he said.

“Do a little research and check advertisements and fliers for sales,” Rupured said. “The sales-tax holiday has become so big now that most retailers offer big sales to attract more business.”

Don’t bring your children along for the shopping excursion, unless you are purchasing their clothes.

“Most of the time you’ll spend less without the kids around,” he said. “Go out by yourself to purchase school supplies and computers and accessories. While you are out, make note of any particularly good clothing sales and return to those stores later during the holiday with the kids.”

The tax-free holidays are designed to help Georgians save, not spend, money. Rupured discourages consumers from buying items on credit during the tax-free days.

“Unless you pay the balance in full with each statement, the interest you pay on a credit card balance can be high enough to offset any savings,” he said. “To avoid temptation, leave your credit cards at home.”

For an entire list of which items will and will not be exempt during the tax holiday, see the Georgia Department of Revenue Web site at www.etax.dor.ga.gov/.

By Sharon Omahen
University of Georgia

Sharon Omahen is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.