Show-Me Green sales tax holidays in April are a great time to replace aging appliances with more energy-efficient models.
From 12:01 a.m. Tuesday to midnight April 25, consumers may buy EnergyStar-certified appliances and pay no Missouri state sales tax on up to $1,500 of the purchase price of each qualifying appliance. Some counties, municipalities and taxing districts also agree not to collect sales taxes on the appliances.
To get the most out of the tax holiday, Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises consumers to find out which models and appliances qualify and which cities participate in the holiday before they go shopping. (Jefferson City does not participate.)
If an appliance costs more than $1,500, only the first $1,500 of the sale price qualifies for the state sales tax holiday. Retailers whose sales of qualifying appliances account for less than two percent of their total sales can offer a sales tax refund in lieu of a sales tax holiday.
Not every appliance qualifies for the holiday. For example, clothes washers and dryers, water heaters, dishwashers, air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps, refrigerators and freezers currently are the only appliances to carry the EnergyStar certification. EnergyStar does not yet rate trash compactors, conventional ovens, ranges or stoves, so those appliances do not qualify for the tax holiday.
EnergyStar is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Energy Department. To qualify, products must meet strict energy efficiency requirements, in addition to providing the features and performance consumers demand. In general, EnergyStar appliances are significantly more energy-efficient than other models.
BBB advises consumers to carefully consider features, capacity and energy efficiency of appliances before making a purchase. In addition:
• Read the EnergyGuide label hanging on the inside of an appliance or secured to the outside.
• Compare the energy use of competing models.
• Estimate the differences in energy costs of the models you are considering.
• Consider the purchase price and estimated energy use.
Before doing business with any company or charity, check its BBB Business Review at www.midmobbb.org or by calling 573-886-8965.
Sean Spence is the Mid-Missouri regional director for Better Business Bureau.