Emergency preparedness items eligible for Virginia tax-free weekend

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) wants to make Virginians better prepared for disasters during the upcoming tax-free weekend.

The three-day holiday is returning this August, and is designed to help families buy school supplies and emergency preparedness products that would normally be subject to sales tax.

“Being prepared for emergencies means having a lot of things on hand and that can be really expensive for folks who live paycheck to paycheck,” said VDEM Communications and Community Impact Manager Katie Carter. “Even if you do have good means, it’s still expensive to have an emergency kit, so coming up with our Virginia tax-free weekend this weekend, a lot of emergency preparedness items are going to be tax-free.”

Carter said that taking advantage of the tax-free holiday, which includes both in-store purchases and online items, to prepare yourself for an emergency can also help those around you stay safe as well.

“It may take emergency responders days or even a week or longer to get to you if everyone else around you is in the same boat,” Carter said. “Your neighbors are also going to be dealing with the effects of a disaster or a hurricane.”

Qualifying items include:

• School supplies, clothing and footwear
• Qualified school supplies: $20 or less per item
• Qualified clothing and footwear: $100 or less per item
• Hurricane and emergency preparedness products
• 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 preparedness items: $60 or less per item
• Energy Star and WatersSense products
• Qualifying Energy Star or WaterSense products purchased for noncommercial home or personal use: $2,500 or less per item

Tax-free weekend will span from 12:01 a.m. On Friday, Aug. 2 until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4.  The Department of Taxation has published written guidelines for the tax holiday on its website .

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