Texans will have a brief opportunity to stock up on emergency supplies at a reduced cost.
Emergency supplies will be sold tax-free this upcoming weekend, per a news release from the Texas Comptroller.
State officials announced that there will be no limits on how many qualified items can be purchased, and no exemption certification is needed for these purchases.
The Texas Comptroller has also detailed the types of items that qualify for these tax exemptions.
These items include batteries, non-electric can openers, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, fuel containers, light sources, and more.
Non-qualifying items include toilet paper, vehicle batteries, camping stoves, chainsaws, and plywood.
Citizens may begin to take advantage of this opportunity beginning at 12:01 a.m. on April 22, with the exemption ending at midnight on April 24.
Texans will be able to purchase these supplies in-store, online, or through various other methods, but these purchases must be made within the defined time period.
Texas is no stranger to disasters or conditions in which emergency supplies may be required.
The state and the North Texas region have already suffered multiple waves of severe weather this year with some resulting in either tornado spin-ups or outbreaks, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth told The Dallas Express that it recommends citizens take advantage of this opportunity to be prepared in the event disaster strikes.
“We are already in the full swing of spring, but it’s never too late to prepare. Especially here in Texas and especially in North Texas,” said Sarah Barnes with the NWS in Fort Worth.
“We see severe weather year-round,” she added.
Barnes said that tornado and severe weather season in Texas typically begins in March and ends in May, but “secondary peaks” do emerge in the fall.
The agency said that flashlights and batteries are among the most important items to keep on hand after severe weather, alongside emergency kits.
Larry Traylor, a general manager at Elliott’s Hardware, told CBS News that citizens need to take advantage of this tax-free opportunity given the unpredictable nature of Texas weather.
“It’s great, because what it does, it kind of puts an emphasis on making sure you can protect yourself, you know, if the electricity goes out,” said Traylor, per CBS News. “What are you going to do to protect yourself when that happens?”
Not sure how important a non-electric can opener would be and why anyone would not already have one. (I always thought electric can openers were dumb.)