Overview
- The statewide holiday, which runs Saturday through Monday, waives state and local sales taxes on qualifying emergency supplies bought in stores or online, with no limit on how many you can purchase and refunds available if you are charged tax in error.
- To qualify, items must stay under set price caps — generators under $3,000, hurricane shutters and emergency ladders under $300, and common kit staples under $75 such as batteries, flashlights, first-aid kits, radios and tarps.
- Shipping, delivery and handling count toward the sales price, so a fee that pushes an item over its cap makes the whole purchase taxable even if the sticker price was under the limit.
- Several items are excluded from the holiday, including medical masks, cleaning supplies, chainsaws, plywood, tents and batteries for cars or boats.
- The Comptroller estimates Texans will save about $2.4 million, a push to prepare early even as seasonal outlooks point to slightly below-average storm activity.