WEST VIRGINIANS CAN SAVE MONEY WHILE HELPING CUT ENERGY DEMANDS

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginians can cut their home energy bills and help lower the demand for energy in the state while saving some money.

Effective September 1-7, 2008, West Virginians will not have to pay sales and use tax on certain ENERGY STAR® qualified products valued at $2,500 or less. Tangible personal property for use in a trade or business is not subject to this Sales Tax Holiday.

“I want to make sure all West Virginia businesses are ready to help West Virginia families save on their home energy costs,” said State Tax Commissioner Christopher G. Morris. “The ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday allows consumers to save at the register and in the long run because the qualified products can help your home run on less energy and that means a lower power bill.”

With the help of ENERGY STAR, Americans saved enough energy last year to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million cars—all while saving $16 billion on their utility bills.

To prepare for the statewide ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday, all West Virginia businesses who sell ENERGY STAR products should prepare for tax free sales of products priced at $2,500 or less and bearing the ENERGY STAR label during the time period of September 1 through September 7, 2008.

Purchases qualify for the sales and use tax holiday if the purchase is for a product that:

• Earned the ENERGY STAR.
• Cost $2,500 or less.
• Is for noncommercial home or personal use.

Qualified ENERGY STAR® products include clothes washers, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, room AC and room air cleaners, battery charging systems, digital-to-analog converter boxes, cordless phones, combination units, DVD products, external power adapters, home audio, televisions, VCR's, compact fluorescent light bulbs and fixtures.

For a more detailed list of ENERGY STAR products, visit www.energystar.gov.

ENERGY STAR® products are identified by the logo:

ENERGY STAR® is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping to save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Look for more information soon on the State Tax Department web site at www.state.wv.us/taxdiv regarding the upcoming ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday.

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