Maybe this is common knowledge, but it was a surprise to me:

Saturday I purchased a wall oven at Best Buy. I was informed that if I purchased the installation through them, the State of Ohio considers it a "home improvement" and will not charge sales tax.

Well, the sales tax on my purchase was $140. The installation charge was $135.

Faced with a no-brainer situation, I saved $5 on the overall purchase and get installation to boot.

Later I purchased a cooktop from another retailer, who does not install in my area. I asked for the sales tax exemption because the cooktop would be installed as a home improvement. They would not give me the sales tax exemption because the installation would not be done through them.

As a side note, I think this is a silly loophole, but was quite happy to get it.

Something tells me that they are paying the sales tax for you because you are paying them $135 to plug in your oven.

(02-04-2013 01:06 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  Something tells me that they are paying the sales tax for you because you are paying them $135 to plug in your oven.

If paying 5 dollars less means they take my old oven out, haul it away, and slide and mount the new oven into the wall, hey, I'm all for it.

I was looking at the Ohio Revised Code and came up with this sales tax exemption, but doesn't sound like it applies to me:

"Building and construction materials and services sold to construction contractors for incorporation into a structure or improvement to real property under certain construction contract; "

They probably show your oven as a purchase by the contractor and the contractor selling to you.

That would kick in the exemption your quoted, I think.

I could be wrong, but the only sales tax exemption that I know of is when the construction is done for 501c or "non profit" organizations.

Like I said I think they tell you that they'll waive the tax but what really happens is that they pay it for you.

(02-04-2013 01:45 PM)Bearcat Otto Wrote:  They probably show your oven as a purchase by the contractor and the contractor selling to you.

That would kick in the exemption your quoted, I think.

Kind of what I was thinking, because it appeared Recker and Boerger would've done the same thing had they been able to do the installation.

(02-04-2013 01:45 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  I could be wrong, but the only sales tax exemption that I know of is when the construction is done for 501c or "non profit" organizations.

Like I said I think they tell you that they'll waive the tax but what really happens is that they pay it for you.

I don't have the receipt with me but I'm pretty sure it says $0.00 for sales tax, so I think that nixes your theory. If you are correct, the receipt would have looked funky with respect to the various charges.