Massachusetts’ sales tax holiday is expected to amount to $20 million in savings for consumers.
Doug Guertin, sales manager at Allpower in Granby, says he expects generators to be a big seller during the upcoming tax free day in Massachusetts.This is an updated version of a story posted at 2:53 this afternoon.
GRANBY – From freezers to futons, the state’s annual tax-free weekend has shoppers out looking for big-ticket items.
Some are shopping for back -to-school and back-to-college gear, like a dorm room futon. Others are getting ready for fall and winter.
“Snowblowers are a big item for us on tax free day,” said Doug Guertin, sales manager for Allpower in Granby. “It’s something that no one likes to buy. So not paying taxes on it softens the blow.”
People also snap up portable generators during tax-free weekends in anticipation of fall and winter power outages, Guertin said.
“We definitely see a spike,” he said .
Gov. Deval L. Patrick signed legislation Tuesday making the two-day tax holiday Saturday and Sunday official even though the dates were included in a state budget passed at the end of July. For those two days , the state will not collect its 6.25 percent sales tax on most items. There are exceptions. State sales tax will be collected on restaurant meals, tobacco and single items that cost more than $2,500.
Guertin said anything a consumer has to register is also still taxable
Massachusetts no longer collects a sales tax on alcohol sold in stores. The state also doesn’t collect sales tax on most clothing items.
It would be the state’s eighth sales tax holiday in the past nine years. The holiday returned in 2010 after an absence during a state fiscal crisis in 2009.
Connecticut will have a sales tax holiday on during the week of Aug. 19 -25. Connecticut will suspend its 6.35 percent sales tax only on sales of clothing and footwear costing less than $300.
Massachusetts’ sales tax holiday is expected to amount to $20 million in savings for consumers.
“The fact of the matter is the government is not getting some of you money. They already are getting enough of it,” said Geoffrey Webb, a spokesman for Rocky’s Ace Hardware. “Here is your chance to make a large purchase and not worry about the sales tax. “
Hot-sellers for sales tax weekends include power tools, outdoor grills and patio sets. the patio sets are already on sale, Webb said.
At target, the focus is on back-to-school and back to college, said Dawn Buonocore, store team leader at Target at the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside. That’s where the futons, and electronics come in.
“What we are seeing a lot of is that people are in here shopping this week, just window shopping in preparation for tax -free shopping,” Buonocore said.
She also notices people stocking up on taxable staples, like laundry detergent.
“They are buying a greater quantity of the staples they would normally buy because there is no tax,” she said.
Manny D. Rovithis, owner of Manny’s TV & Appliance said his sales people have already quoted prices for about $500,000 worth of merchandise. Customers will close those sales over the weekend.
“We are straight out from early in the morning until late at a night,” Rovithis said.
A lot of those sales are for kitchen ranges and refrigerators , freezers and air conditioners.