sales tax exempt

[broken ed]

I recently discovered when buying batteries for my mobility scooter that the state I'm in does not charge sales tax for medical equipment. If the batteries where for (let's say) a solar system or garage door motor, sales tax would be applied.

Sadly, I wish I had known about this when I purchased the mobility scooter which should have been exempt from sales tax as well, it was $100.00 in sales tax.

Don't make my mistake, check the state your in when purchasing medical.

 

[Matlock]

Wow, I would think the fine folks that sell those scooters would not be charging tax. I can"t believe they would collect the tax and then not turn it in to the state. Well I mean, they wouldn't do that, would they?

 

[Zenreaver]

I recently discovered when buying batteries for my mobility scooter that the state I'm in does not charge sales tax for medical equipment. If the batteries where for (let's say) a solar system or garage door motor, sales tax would be applied.

Sadly, I wish I had known about this when I purchased the mobility scooter which should have been exempt from sales tax as well, it was $100.00 in sales tax.

Don't make my mistake, check the state your in when purchasing medical.

What state?

 

[broken ed]

The only state that matters is the one in your when you make a medical purchase, of course. But this was Texas both times, when I purchased the mobility scooter and the replacement batteries 3 years later.

A Google search under "sales tax exempt medical" didn't tell which states don't charge sales tax on medical devices, but instead which states charge. So if you can wait on a large medical purchase and you'll be in a state that exempts medical, you could save on a large purchase.

My mobility scooter was $1200.00 and nearly $100.00 in tax on top of that. I don't drive so my mobility scooter is my primary mode of transportation, but I also have a walker, which I was not charged sales tax.

Hope this helps you Zenreaver, $100 is a lot of money to me. Medicare and my health insurance plan (yes, I have two) would not cover the mobility scooter, so I made payments until I owned it. For those that need to know, any device that is intended to go outdoors is not covered by Medicare or (at least my) insurance. But my walker is covered.

By the way Matlock, with regard to "fine folks that sell" my walker in this case did not charge sales tax but did bill my insurance north of $200.00 for a walker that can be commonly purchased anywhere for $89.00, including Walmart and Amazon. I should have just bought it myself.

 

[texas0322]

Not all medical devices are sales tax free in Texas. It can actually be very confusing as to what medical devices are sales tax exempt and which ones arent. There is a lot of case law regarding medical devices and some have gotten very specific as to which items are or arent taxable. In the case of wheel chairs and mobility scooters they fall under the prosthetic device exemption in the law making them not taxable. Many other medical items are taxable in Texas though.

If the scooter was taxed it is considered error tax and as long as it is remitted to the state the state cannot impose a penalty on the retailer. There are ways you can go about getting the tax refunded.

 

[broken ed]

Thanks texas0322. Very confusing, I guess the best thing to do is check with who ever is selling medical stuff to you and then try and figure if they are doing it correctly. Good information, thank you.

I don't think the charge of sales tax on my mobility scooter was anything but a mistake. Training for employees and workers is very poor. I purchased it from Walmart (yeah - enough said), because I couldn't go get it, delivery was free, and unlike Amazon it could be returned for free at the store if there was a problem (at the time). And that was the case with the first scooter, it left me stranded in the ally. Not sure Walmart doesn't returns like this anymore on these large purchases.

A lot of places will deliver a mobility scooter and even set it up for you. Setup was the least of my worries, cost $$ was the first. I didn't want to pay an inflated price for someone to come out and do something I cold do myself. Even before I realized the batteries where bad I dissembled the motor, electric brake and speed control wiper switch and tested everything with a multi-meter.



All in all I consider the experience a good one, because I learned so much about something I rely on so much, my mobility scooter.

Thanks again, I'll know better next time...