Virginia's Sales Tax Holiday

Below is an email from the Virginia Department of Taxation describing the upcoming Virginia sales tax holiday.

Save on qualifying items during Virginia’s 3-day sales tax holiday Aug. 7-9

Virginia shoppers get a break from local and state sales tax on qualifying back-to-school, emergency preparedness and energy efficient items during the state’s sales tax holiday, Friday, Aug. 7 through Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015.

New legislation enacted by the 2015 General Assembly combined Virginia’s three existing sales tax holidays into one, three-day holiday in August. Previously, the August sales tax holiday only applied to qualifying back-to-school items. For detailed information on the combined holiday, refer to the department's Combined Sales Tax Holiday Guidelines and Rules.

Overview of Exempt Items include:

·         Qualifying school supplies - $20 or less per item

·         Qualifying clothing and footwear - $100 or less per item  

·         Portable generators - $1,000 or less per item

·         Gas-powered chainsaws - $350 or less per item

·         Chainsaw accessories - $60 or less per item

·         Other specified hurricane and emergency preparedness items - $60 or less per item 

·         Energy Star labeled dishwashers, clothes washers, air conditioners, ceiling fans,  light bulbs, dehumidifiers, and refrigerators - $2,500 or less per item purchased for noncommercial home or personal use

·         WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets, faucet accessories such as aerators and shower heads, toilets, urinals, and landscape irrigation controllers - $2,500 or less per item purchased for noncommercial home or personal use

Notable additions to the list of qualifying items from previous years include certain computer supplies priced at $20 or less per item, such as computer storage media and printer paper, and all light bulbs affixed with the Energy Star label.

For additional information on the sales tax holiday, including detailed lists of qualifying items, visit the department’s Sales Tax Holiday web page.

Note that although used to be a back-to-school tax holiday qualified items now include many related to emergency preparedness and energy efficiency.

If you have questions about this or any other tax issue, please contact me at bill@hollandbrowncpa.com