Business & Tech

Maryland Tax Free Weekend Runs Feb. 16-18 For Appliances

Maryland consumers can buy some Energy Star appliances without paying 6 percent sales tax Feb. 16-18, and BGE offers rebates on some items.

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland shoppers who buy qualifying Energy Star appliances Saturday, Feb. 16, through Monday, Feb. 18, will not have to pay the state's 6 percent sales tax. Consumers who purchase air conditioners, refrigerators, washers and dryers, boilers, dehumidifiers, compact fluorescent light bulbs and other qualifying Energy Star products will receive the tax break.

And Marylanders can save even more this weekend by combining the rebates regularly offered by BGE's Smart Energy Savers Program with discounts offered by retailers and manufacturers, the utility company said.

"Shop Maryland Energy weekend is a great time to take advantage of potentially hundreds of dollars in savings on ENERGY STAR products that are good for the environment," Comptroller Peter Franchot said in a news release. "This program boosts sales during an otherwise down time for businesses and gives consumers an incentive to purchase energy-efficient appliances."

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According to the Maryland Comptroller's Office, during Shop Maryland Energy weekend, these Energy Star products are tax free:

  • Air conditioners
  • Washers and dryers
  • Furnaces
  • Heat pumps
  • Solar water heaters (tax-exempt at all times now)
  • Standard size refrigerators
  • Dehumidifiers
  • Programmable thermostats
  • Compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs

During Shop Maryland Energy Weekend, select models of the following types of ENERGY STAR certified products are tax-free and rebated by the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program:

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  • Electric clothes dryers
  • Clothes washers
  • Standard size refrigerators
  • Dehumidifiers
  • Programmable thermostats

As of March 31, 2019, BGE’s Smart Energy Savers Program will no longer offer rebates on the following ENERGY STAR certified appliances:

  • $100 rebates on refrigerators
  • $75–$100 rebates on clothes washers
  • $50 rebates on electric clothes dryers

BGE says rebate applications and all required documentation for these energy-saving products (purchased by March 31, 2019) must be received no later than May 31, 2019.

A list of ENERGY STAR items may be found at energystar.gov/products or at marylandtaxes.com.

Other types of appliances and equipment do not qualify for exemption even though they may also carry the Energy Star label.

For more information on Shop Maryland Energy weekend visit marylandtaxes.com. For additional questions e-mail taxhelp@comp.state.md.us or call 410-260-7980 (central Maryland) or toll-free at 1-800-MD-TAXES.

Image courtesy of the Maryland Comptroller's office


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