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Alabamans encouraged to buy emergency goods through severe-weather tax holiday

Alabama Retail Assn
Alabama Retail Assn

 

Some emergency preparedness goods will be a little cheaper this weekend.

The severe weather tax holiday starts on Friday, and will let shoppers buy tax free certain emergency preparedness items that cost $60 or less, like batteries, portable radios, and tie-down kits.

This is the tenth year that the state of Alabama has partnered with the Alabama Retail Association to tax-exempt emergency goods.

Nancy Dennis, the Director of Public Relations for the Alabama Retail Association, said that the severe weather tax-holiday has its roots in the tornado super-outbreak that affected Alabama in 2011.

“So the severe weather sales tax holiday dates back to the April 2011 tornadoes,” Dennis said. “The holiday was created as a result of that and has run every year since and we are in our tenth anniversary.”

Dennis also said that the tax-holiday weekend serves as a reminder for Alabamians to stay emergency-prepared.

“It's a reminder and an opportunity especially in this year when we have been in a state of emergency for almost a  year related to the pandemic, and then we have also had, even early 2021, has been a fairly heavy year for natural disasters,” Dennis said.

The tax holiday begins Friday, and ends at midnight on Sunday. All eligible items will be state sales-tax free, and local tax-exempt in participating cities and counties.

To see if your city or county is participating visit https://revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/sales-tax-holidays/alabama-back-to-school-sales-tax-holiday-participating-localities/

Connor Todd is a news intern for Alabama Public Radio.
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