TN Lawmakers Push Effort to End Grocery Tax
Measure would provide immediate relief from rising prices
A pair of legislators from Nashville have introduced legislation that would eliminate the grocery tax in Tennessee.
Tennessee is one of only 13 states that tax groceries. That would change if Rep. Aftyn Behn and Sen. Charlane Oliver get support for their legislation.
The state currently places a 4% tax on groceries and local governments may add up to 2.75%. The tax significantly increases costs for Tennessee families.
Behn said the measure would make Tennessee’s tax system more fair.
“Instead of focusing on a bipartisan solution to inflation, Gov. Lee announced he’s giving corporations yet another tax break despite wide support for eliminating the grocery tax. It’s time to shift the tax burden off of us and onto mega-corporations who don’t pay what they owe.”
Legislative Democrats recently released their planned agenda for the 2025 session of the General Assembly. The list of policy proposals includes ending the grocery tax.
By contrast, the first bill filed for 2025 by Republicans is legislation to enact a universal school voucher scheme.
Senate Democratic Caucus Chair London Lamar of Memphis said of the GOP effort:
“Once again, Tennessee Republicans are pushing an expansion of their failed private school voucher scheme. This isn’t about improving education; it’s about diverting public dollars away from underfunded public schools to private institutions that are unaccountable to taxpayers and don’t serve every student.”
Rep. John Ray Clemmons, a Nashville Democrat, discussed the importance of focusing on the economic needs of Tennessee citizens:
“Tennessee’s economy needs to be rebuilt from the middle out and bottom up — not from the top down. The Republican Party’s obsession with tax breaks for the rich has hollowed out the middle class and created an affordability crisis for too many families. It’s time to reverse that trend.”
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