"Green" sales tax holiday starts at midnight

Georgia officials hope to again encourage energy and water conservation through a sales-tax holiday, which starts just past midnight tonight--running through midnight Sunday.

Certain appliances and items with the ENERGY STAR label are exempt from state and local taxes, and a new provision this year also includes specific water efficient products in the tax-holiday.

There has been advance interest in the tax-free period. Michael Thornton is sales manager with the H.H.Gregg store in Douglasville:

"They’ve been coming-in about three weeks before this tax time inquiring about it. They want to find out exactly what models qualify".

However, Thornton says he doesn’t have a good gauge for how consumer traffic might be this weekend given the economic downturn. He notes lower customer volume through their store for the last few weeks.

For a list of tax-break approved items you can buy, go to the Georgia Department of Revenue website: dor.ga.gov

"Energy Star" sales tax holiday starts tonight

Georgians have until midnight Sunday to buy appliances and products "tax free", but only those items with a particular energy conservation label.

Products with the ‘Energy Star’ designation will be free of any state or local sales taxes through the weekend. It applies to appliances and products with a price tag of 15-hundred dollars or less.

Items such as dish and clothes-washers, air conditioners, refrigerators, and fluorescent light bulbs are on the list as exempt from state and local taxes.

Governor Sonny Perdue is encouraging Georgians to take advantage of the tax-free holiday to help save on utility bills, and cut-down on energy consumption.

For a complete list of the "tax free" products, click here to go to the Georgia Department of Revenue's website.