Does Your State Have A Tax Holiday For Preppers?

It’s easy to get wrapped up in big picture problems when you start preparing your family. It can be nearly cult like with your gangs for the EMP or the penultimate natural disaster. Even the zombie apocalypse is gaining a bit of a following. Still, as fun and motivating as it is to get locked and loaded for the “big one” it’s important not to get taken out by the smaller sure thing.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.”
Sun Tzu

The reason I am bringing this up is because we are quickly approaching hurricane season. I myself have been caught off guard by hurricanes in the past. Even with the news coverage they receive they can often make radical shifts over the ocean. This could put them on a crash course with your life when earlier in the week you thought it would swing back into the Atlantic.

My wonderful state of Virginia is offering up a tax holiday for hurricane preparedness items. This is an incredible opportunity for those of you who need to make some upgrades or fill some gaps in your plan and preparation.

I have also found similar programs available in states like Florida, Louisiana and Alabama. I believe this is a program that every state should take up. Perhaps a topic for another podcast of I Am Liberty might be to push the tax holiday for every state in the union as we are all subject to some sort of disaster and should be prepared. The way I look at it is one tax free weekend would save an excess of billions for damage control and aid to those unprepared.

If your state does not participate in some sort of disaster preparedness tax holiday please contact your reps. I can only speak for the Virginia items that are available for the exemption so here is our list.

$1,000 or less

Portable generators and generator power cords
Inverters and inverter power cables

$60 or less

Artificial ice, blue ice, ice packs and reusable ice
Batteries (excluding automobile or boat batteries)
o AAA, AA, C and D size
o 6- or 9-volt
o Cell phone batteries
Any battery-powered light sources, including flashlights, lanterns and glow sticks — no candles
Tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, plastic drop cloths and other flexible waterproof sheeting
Bungee cords and rope
Ground anchor systems or tie down kits
Ratchet straps
Duct tape
Carbon monoxide detectors
Smoke detectors
Fire extinguishers
Empty gas, propane or diesel fuel tanks or containers
Water storage containers, including buckets, barrels, canteen, cans, cooler
Nonelectric food storage coolers
Bottled water, any size and number of bottles, including flavored, carbonated and vitamin water
Manual can openers
Battery-powered or hand-crank radios (including radios with an electrical power option)
Two-way radios
Weather band radios and NOAA Weather Radios
Storm shutter devices that are made, rated and marketed specifically for the prevention of storm
damage to windows — no plywood
Cell phone chargers
First aid kits