A bill introduced by a Tennessee Republican would exempt certain baby products from sales tax.
“There is exempt from the tax imposed by this chapter the retail sale of infant formula and diapers and wipes designed to be used by infants and children, if sold between 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 2024, and 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 2025,” says the text of HB 1637.
The law defines “infant formula” as “a liquid or powder that purports or is represented to be for special dietary use solely as a food for infants and children by nature of its simulation of human milk or its suitability as a complete or partial substitute for human milk.”
The bill was introduced by State Representative Greg Martin (R-Hamilton County).
“I introduced this bill because I know the financial burden babies can have on struggling young couples,” Martin told The Tennessee Star Tuesday. “If we are able to pass legislation that will ease this burden and help parents, I’ll consider it a huge success.”
“From August through October, Tennesseans greatly benefitted from the grocery tax holiday the General Assembly approved last year,” he said. “While those tax savings benefitted parents, I knew we could do more to help them in their journey through parenthood. Children are a blessing, and this legislation will allow parents to devote more resources to their babies.”
As part of a $400 million tax cut bill for small businesses, Tennesseeans enjoyed a grocery tax holiday between August and October, as mentioned by Martin.
“Decades of smart fiscal stewardship have enabled Tennessee to maintain a balanced budget while cutting taxes for Tennessee families and businesses,” said Gov. Bill Lee in a Tennessee Department of Revenue (TDOR) release from April. “We are proud to continue that legacy this year by putting dollars back in the pockets of Tennesseans and supporting future economic growth across Tennessee, and I thank the General Assembly for its partnership to promote future growth and opportunity for our state.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
Photo “Pampers” by ParentingPatch. CC BY-SA 3.0.
