File photo
Tornado damage in the Eagle Point community in 2021.
This weekend is Alabama’s severe weather preparedness sales tax holiday, which means that Friday-Sunday (Feb. 21-23), people can buy certain items that come in handy in severe weather without having to pay most sales taxes on those items.
The state Legislature has waived state sales taxes for that weekend. The city of Vestavia Hills has waived city sales taxes for that weekend. Shelby County has waived its county sales taxes that weekend, and Jefferson County has waived all but 1% of its sales taxes (excluding the 1% sales tax that is specifically allocated for educational purposes).
Items exempt from most sales taxes include (up to $60 spent per item) batteries (except coin, vehicle or boat batteries), cellphone chargers, portable self-powered or battery-powered radios, weather radios, portable self-powered light sources such as flashlights, lanterns and glow sticks, tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, plastic drop cloths, ground anchor systems, bungee cords, duct tape, plywood and window film, non-electric food storage coolers, non-electric can openers, artificial ice, blue ice, ice packs, self-contained first aid kits, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, gas or diesel fuel tanks or containers. A portable generator and power cords also are exempt from most sales taxes (up to $1,000 per single purchase).
See other cities participating in the 2024 Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Weekend on the Alabama Department of Revenue’s website.
