Double Check: You might be missing out on some spending green with those EV device purchases

By Marcus Amick May 21, 2013

If you’re considering buying a charging station or a related EV device, you might want to check and make sure you’re not missing out on some cash incentive with your purchase.

While many states offer some kind of rebates or tax breaks for buying EV related products, it appears that some retailers might not be informing consumers that they are eligible for breaks on their purchase.

According to Green Car Reports, such was the case with a consumer in the Seattle, Washington area. After visiting a Home Depot to buy a charging station, the Seattle-area farmer was told that the store was out of stock and he would have to order the device on line.

When he finally received the bill, he realized that he’d been charged around $70 in sales tax.

Thinking he shouldn’t have been charged a sales tax for device, the man called Home Depot. He was informed that while Home Depot does indeed charge a sale tax for the device, the retailer also offers a program to refund buyers for the sales tax paid on the chargers.

However, apparently, Home Depot’s online sales agents weren’t aware of the incentive, which many states offer to encourage EV usage — or they forgot (maybe) to tell the customer.

Home Depot is currently working to track down customers in Washington state who have bought one of the retailer’s charging systems, to make sure the individuals were aware of the tax break, according to Green Car Reports.

Still, with roughly 28 states now offering some type of incentives tied to EVs, you might want to double check to make sure you’re not missing out on some cash back for those green devices.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Marcus Amick has been writing about the world of cars for more than ten years and has covered everything from new automobiles…

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