By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – Appliance stores are expecting big crowds this week during Missouri's second annual tax-free shopping period for energy-efficient appliances.
From today through Sunday, people who buy certain new Energy Star appliances will pay no state sales tax. Eight counties and 51 cities also are waiving their sales taxes.
Appliances that qualify for the tax exemption include clothes washers, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps.
Some people may also qualify for a rebate. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is distributing $5.6 million worth of federal rebates for new energy efficient appliances when people recycle their old ones.
On Friday, shoppers in Illinois used up their state's 6.2 million dollars in federal rebate money in 11 hours, ending the program nine days before its scheduled close.