A bill that would give a tax holiday on purchases of energy-saving appliances rode a wave of heavy bipartisan support in both houses of the Legislature to its introduction in the state Assembly Wednesday.
The bill would lift the sales tax on Energy Star appliances for the seven-day period starting the Saturday before Earth Day, April 21. The legislation also stipulates the appliances must be for residential use of the purchaser, and the tax break only applies to purchases of $1,500 or less.
Lt. Gov. Barbra Lawton is an active and vocal supporter of the legislation, and it is part of her Green Economy Agenda, which Robert Chappell, Lawton?s spokesperson, said will later include job creation initiatives as well.
?The Green Economy Agenda will be a series of proposals, some legislative, some not, that will comprise a multifaceted approach to global climate change and the economic opportunities in green business,? Chappell said.
Besides gaining support from both sides of the aisle and in both houses, the legislation also unites traditionally opposed environmental groups like the Sierra Club with business and consumer groups like Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.
?It?s good for consumers, it gives them a little bit of a break; it?s good for business, it provides them with a shot in the arm for that week, and obviously it?s good for the environment, so everybody?s happy,? Chappell said.
Virginia is one of three other states that have tried a similar approach, and during a four-day tax holiday, people there bought $3.3 million worth of appliances and products, according to Chappell.
Rep. Pat Strachota, R-West Bend, is a leading sponsor of the legislation, which has co-sponsorship from about 70 percent of the Senate and 25 percent of the Assembly.
?As the country faces an economic downturn, this tax break will stimulate economic activity by encouraging citizens to replace old appliances with energy efficient ones when they might otherwise have postponed the purchase,? Strachota said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald. ?And any Energy Star item purchased will have the added benefit of cutting a consumer’s increasingly high energy bills by decreasing their energy use.?
However, Strachota said despite the high level of support for the bill, it will face an ?uphill battle? making it through the Legislature by the time the session ends mid-March.
Energy Star qualified appliances use 10 to 50 percent less energy than standard models, according to Focus on Energy.
The Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group has also endorsed the legislation.
?It?s a great way not only to save money but to reduce energy use and therefore reduce global warming,? said University of Wisconsin sophomore Cady Gifford, co-coordinator of WISPIRG?s Big Red, Go Green campaign.
?It?s a great, simple, achievable goal for any person, even if they don?t even care about the environmental aspects, it?ll at least save them money,? Gifford added. ?It?s a great way to get involved, even if you don?t know another way how to.?
Energy Star is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to encourage more efficient products and practices. According to its website, Energy Star saved consumers $14 billion across the United States and avoided greenhouse emissions equivalent to those of 25 million cars in 2006.
