It is holiday season again in Virginia. Sales tax holiday, to be specific. Since Wednesday, Virginians have been able to avoid paying sales taxes on selected items in an attempt to prod them to get ready for hurricane season. But act now, because the holiday festivities end May 31st.
Or, if you happen to be one of those sticks in the mud who think sales tax holidays are wasteful gimmicks, you can enjoy the real holiday and head to the beach…where a killer storm may one day reach out from the waves and make you regret you didn’t stock-up on duct tape and batteries.
In past years, Virginia’s political class took great pride in announcing the hurricane preparedness sales tax holiday. This year is different. Rather than tout the tax gimmick, Gov. McDonnell solemnly declared May 22 – 28 as “Hurricane and Flooding Preparedness Week.” He made no mention of the sales tax exemption on certain supplies at all. He did, though, urge folks to get prepared for emergencies, which is always a sensible thing to do, and in his press release pointed folks to the ReadyVirginia.gov web site for more information.
The sales tax holiday information is now relegated to the Department of Taxation website. There people can see that all sorts of goodies that are free of sales tax, for a brief time.
In other words, there’s a sale on bungee cords and ice packs this weekend. And for the truly disaster-minded, portable generators costing less than a $1,000 are free of the sales tax, too.
The hurricane and emergency preparedness holiday is one of three “celebrated” in the commonwealth. One that’s sure to get more glowing press is the “School Supplies and Clothing” sales tax holiday in early August. That one only lasts for a couple of days, but covers a much wider array of stuff – from crayons to, yes, wedding veils (nevermind the mixed message that sends to school kids).
In October, shoppers who didn’t gorge on sales tax-free smoke detectors May and suspenders in August can indulge themselves in the inelegantly named “Energy Star and WaterSense Qualified Products” holiday. For four exciting days when they aren’t busy stocking-up on Halloween candy, consumers can splurge on “certain energy-efficient appliances,” just so long as they cost less than $2,500. It’s a festival of CFL bulbs and low-flow toilets, all aimed at making Virginia more energy efficient, while keeping appliance dealers happy.
As much as I love having extra batteries around, and dearly love saving money on my utility bills, I’ll continue to be a stick in the mud and call these well-meaning programs what they are: cheap gimmicks.
If Virginia’s political class really wants to encourage people to go to the mall, do the more sensible, and equitable, thing and lower the sales tax on all items, every day.
And leave the holidays to Hallmark.
