Ryan Nicol
Sen. Lauren Book and Rep. Anna Eskamani are back with bills to eliminate sales tax for child and adult diaper purchases.
Book has backed versions of the legislation for years, though the measure has yet to pass.
“It’s time to stop taxing Florida families for essential health care items,” Book said in a statement announcing she’s renewing her push again ahead of the 2022 Legislative Session.
“Caring for young children and adults with incontinence issues comes with overwhelming costs. For the health, safety, and dignity of families, Florida should join other states across the country and stop taxing these necessary health care items.”
Last year’s legislation earned unanimous approval in the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee and the Senate Finance and Tax Committee. It died in the Appropriations Committee, its last committee stop.
No House member joined Book on a companion bill during the 2021 Session. But this year, Eskamani is joining her fellow Democrat for the first time in pushing the bill.
“As Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee, I am committed to making life easier for working families and everyday people,” Eskamani said.
“After collaborating with so many diaper banks throughout the state it’s become even more clear to me that we must eliminate the sales tax on diapers — this is a regressive tax on a necessary item and parents should not be taxed for meeting the basic needs of their kids.”
Babies use more than 2,700 diapers per year, according to numbers from Investopedia. Disposable diapers can cost new parents $70–$80 per month.
While the legislation would help ease the burden on new parents’ pocketbooks, other products targeted for adults, such as “incontinence undergarments, incontinence pads, or incontinence liners,” would also be exempt from the state’s 6% sales tax under the bill.
Many other staple items are already exempted from the state’s sales tax such as school books and feminine hygiene products, among others.
2 comments
Derek Logue
September 22, 2021 at 6:47 am
This is a fitting bill for Senator rhymes-with-crook to work on because she is as full of of crap as a used diaper.
Jerry Reaves
September 25, 2021 at 10:49 am
So says the convicted sex offender keyboard warrior who has spent three years avoiding eight counts of grand theft in Broward who can’t speak to the topic here so name calls instead.
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