Emergency supplies worth up to $3,000 are exempt from sales tax this weekend.
The emergency preparation supplies sales tax holiday starts Saturday at 12:01 a.m. and lasts through the weekend.
In a press release, Gov. Greg Abbott said now is the time to purchase supplies for hurricane season, which starts June 1 and lasts until Nov. 30.
鈥淗urricane season is approaching, so I encourage Texans across the state to prepare today for a safer tomorrow,鈥� Abbott said.
The Texas comptroller鈥檚 office released a that qualify for the sales tax exemption. There鈥檚 no limit on the number of items shoppers can purchase, and there鈥檚 no need to bring an exemption certificate to be exempt from the sales tax, the comptroller鈥檚 office said.
Emergency supplies must fit under three price point categories in order to qualify for the exemption. Items that need to be under $75 include batteries, fuel containers and flashlights, and items that need to be less than $300 to qualify include hurricane shutters and emergency ladders. Portable generators need to be $3,000 or less to qualify.
The sales tax holiday isn鈥檛 just for brick and mortar stores, according to Kevin Lyons, a public accounts spokesperson for the comptroller鈥檚 office 鈥� it also applies to online purchases. However, he said if a delivery charge tips a product over the maximum price point, then the buyer will have to pay the sales tax.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 just something to think about when you decide whether or not to purchase something online,鈥� he said.
Even though hurricane season doesn鈥檛 start until June, Kent Prochazka, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service鈥檚 Houston/Galveston region, said it鈥檚 best to prepare early. He recommended having supplies available at all times and having an extra copy of important documents stored somewhere safe.
Scientists at Colorado State University are predicting an above average hurricane season this year with a potential increase in tropical storms. Prochazka said tropical storms can鈥檛 be predicted as far in advance as hurricanes, so Texans living along the coast might not always have the luxury of having a week to plan for an upcoming storm.
鈥淭exas is prone to getting these tropical storms that form in what almost seems like a blink of an eye,鈥� he said.
When it comes to emergency preparedness, Prochazka said rushing out to buy supplies right before a natural disaster hits is an error he鈥檚 made himself in the past. Those looking for last-minute supplies may instead find empty shelves.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to do that,鈥� he said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 make my mistake. Make sure you鈥檝e done this in advance.鈥�
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