Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A Tennessee grocery tax elimination bill was placed behind the budget in the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee on Wednesday meeting the same fate as a similar bill last year.
House Bill 1530 (HB1530) sponsored by Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill-District 92) aims to exempt food and food ingredients from state sales tax.
Tennessee is one of just ten states that taxes groceries. Consumers pay 4% in state taxes and local governments are allowed to add up to 2.75% if they so choose.
Warner’s bill would repeal the state’s portion of the tax beginning July 1st but local governments could still set their own grocery tax.
Despite GOP leadership saying last year that they are committed to addressing the issue, the bill was quickly dismissed due to what Committee Chair Ryan Williams called a “sizable” fiscal impact.
Knowing the fiscal note would likely stymie the bill, Warner pointed out that the state would not lose the whole of the tax revenue.
“Statistics show that when we put money back in the pockets of taxpayers, they have a tendency to spend it on other things,” said Warner.
Williams stated, “In order for that bill to be funded we’d have to cut services somewhere else.”
When The Tennessee Conservative reached out to Warner yesterday evening to ask what he thought about the likelihood of the bill being funded this year, he didn’t hold out much hope, saying it probably would not happen.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
7 Responses
Kinda hard to respect a committee chair that shilled for a soccer stadium outside his district talking fiscal responsibility.
Is Tennessee still “leading the way” in electric pickup truck production?
We are top ten in taxing food and sales tax rate, but we sure are business friendly!
WHY!! wont someone introduce legislation to eliminate/reduce tax on good food and raise tax on junk to make up difference? Would make TN WAAY healthier.
Do you really believe the same legislators that want to tax food are capable or willing to select what you think is “junk food” for an increased tax???
RFK would tell them. If someone introduced it we’d see who’d kill it.
Horatio and Dwayne are right on. What a lame excuse to keep taxing Tennesseans on groceries! Todd Warner is a grounded, Tennessee citizen first, then a legislator with his mind on ‘real life’ issues for Tennesseans! Thanks Todd! Way to many of our legislators are living the high life, patting each other on the back in Downtown Nashville, and they’ve lost their way! Unfortunately, Rep. Warner and his bills are once again being treated like an outsider by leadership and it all goes back to his strong argument against Bill’s bill the so called Educational Freedom Act which will bring ANYTHING but freedom! But, one has to wonder how RINO RAY Williams voted on the 500 million for the Titans Stadium? Or 80 million tax payer dollars for FORD to ‘think’ about manufacturing some sort of something at some point in the next millennial? What a JOKE! Our RINO legislators will go to any length to squash good legislation that helps everyday citizens, but bend over backwards to give away public money to mega corporations and students who’s parents have been sending their students to private schools for years. Ah, alas, it all goes to F.O.B’s. What hypocrites! Throw the BUMS out!
Amen!
It is likely to fail because Lee wants to spend our money to expand his socialist voucher program that is mostly going into the pockets of parents that can already afford private school instead of low income families. One day people will be very sorry they fell for his lies. These vouchers programs are all about eventually sucking private, religious and home school students into the federal indoctrination system. With most states now signing up to this scheme in a few years you will see the hammer start to fall. Once these private schools include the voucher money into their budgets they will fall prey to the strings or lose the money and it would become a hardship to give up that money stream once it is baked into their bottom line.