Energy-Star rated appliances tax-free for the weekend

If you’re planning to buy a major appliance in Maryland, this coming weekend will give you an incentive. The state is suspending its 6 percent sales tax on Energy Star-rated appliances from Friday through Sunday, and appliance stores are gearing up for an influx of customers, according to the Maryland Retailers Association. The tax holiday applies to the following Energy Star products: air conditioners, clothes washers and dryers, furnaces, heat pumps, boilers, solar water heaters (currently tax-exempt all the time), standard-size refrigerators, dehumidifiers, programmable thermostats and compact fluorescent light bulbs.