Senator Rodney Ellis, Sierra Club, and Texas Retailers Association announce new Sales Tax Holiday for Energy Efficient Products -- Memorial Day Weekend
CONTACT: Cyrus
Reed, Sierra Club, 512-740-4086 (Se Habla Español) or Margaret Justus, Senator Rodney Ellis’ office,
713-236-0306
Senator Rodney Ellis, Sierra Club, and Texas Retailers Association
announce new Sales Tax Holiday
Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston), Cyrus Reed, Conservation
Director of the
Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, and Ronnie Volkening,
President and
CEO of Texas Retailers Assocation spoke at a press conference
Monday, May 12
at the Capitol (Room 2E9, 11:00 AM) about the benefits for
consumers,
retailers, and the environment that will be achieved on the
sales tax
holiday for energy efficient products which will take place
later this
month.
"If you've been thinking about finally buying those
energy efficient light
bulbs, purchasing a programmable thermostat, or actually
replacing the
refrigerator, dishwasher or air conditioner with a cleaner
more efficient
one, memorial day weekend is the time to do it. You'll save
money, while
helping to reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions," noted
Lone
Star Chapter Conservation Director Cyrus Reed.
The sales tax holiday applies to EnergyStar-rated products
certified by the
U.S. Department of Energy. Products exempted from sales taxes
from
Saturday, May 24, 12:01 AM - Monday, May 26, 11:59 PM include
refrigerators,
dishwashers, clothes washers, compact fluorescent lightbulbs,
ceiling fans,
dehumidifiers, and programmable thermostats.
"This is a win-win," said Sen. Ellis. "Consumers
save money when they
purchase the Energy Star products and they save money each
month on
electricity. With the price of electricity and concerns about
global warming
both rising rapidly, energy efficiency is becoming even more
important."
Ronnie Volkening, representing the Texas Retailers Association,
said his
association lobbied for the tax exemption because its member
companies
recognize the value of bringing more of these products into
our homes.
"Our hope is that consumers become aware of these products
and take
advantage of this tax holiday. This program can help Texans
save money on
their utilities while also promoting energy efficiency, which
should help
our environment, " said Volkening.
The Memorial Day Tax Holiday is the result of the passage
of the omnibus HB
3693 by Representative Joe Straus (R-San Antonio), which
Reed called "the
mother-of-all efficiency bills."
A recent report by Optimal Energy showed that Texas can meet
80% of load
growth in electricity by 2021 through energy efficiency,
demand response,
and on-site renewable power.
Donna Hoffman
Communication Coordinator
Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club
1202 San Antonio St., Austin, TX 78702
P. O. Box 1931, Austin, TX 78767
512-477-1729 or 512-299-5776 cell http://texas.sierraclub.org/ donna.hoffman@sierraclub.org
