Between the sugar-highs of Halloween and tension-filled elections, North Carolinians have one more thing to add to their calendars this week – the fifth annual Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday.

Set for Friday, Nov. 2 through Sunday, Nov. 4, consumers will enjoy three days free from sales tax for certain Energy Star-qualified products.

“The Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday was created to help consumers save energy and money while also increasing consumer awareness of energy efficiency,” said NCRMA President and General Counsel Andy Ellen. “We appreciate North Carolina’s lawmakers continuing to support these types of events in these economically challenging times. As we communicated during the August back to school sales tax holiday, the state may forego sales and use tax on specific exempt items, but studies have shown that shoppers tend to use the savings from sales tax to purchase additional non-exempt items. For example, a homeowner may use the $70 saved on purchasing a $1000 refrigerator to purchase something else for their home or fill up their gas tank.”

Products exempt during the holiday include Energy Star qualified clothes washers, freezers, refrigerators, central air conditioners, room air conditioners, air-source heat pumps, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers and programmable thermostats. Qualified products feature the distinctive Energy Star label, making them easier to identify. There is no price floor or ceiling for products to qualify for sales and use tax exemption. Rentals of Energy Star products are not exempt. Also of note, purchases by businesses are not exempt.

About NCRMA:

The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) is a non-profit trade association that was organized in 1902 to improve the business climate for retail merchants in our state. Over 100 years later, NCRMA is still the voice of the retail industry in North Carolina.

The Association’s membership includes more than 25,000 stores from across the state, representing 75 percent of North Carolina’s retail sales volume. About 60 percent of NCRMA members are independent stores. NCRMA serves both large and small retailers from multi-state chains to local “Mom and Pops,” and all types of  merchants such as antique, apparel, art, automotive, book, carpet, department, drug, electronics, floral, furniture, grocery, hardware, jewelry, paint and variety stores.  www.ncrma.org