Lauren Book resumes push to make diaper tax break permanent

The leader of the Senate Democrats is resuming her yearly push to eliminate taxes on diapers and incontinence products.

Sen. Lauren Book’s measure (SB 114) would make permanent a sales tax break for human diapers, incontinence undergarments, incontinence pads, and incontinence liners.

Though Book has yet to get this passed into law despite filing it since 2017, Floridians are currently enjoying these tax breaks due to a provision in the 2022 budget.

House negotiators floated an eleventh hour proposal to insert a one-year tax exemption into the budget, which met with approval from the Senate, and eventually from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who championed the idea and credited the Legislature for it.

“It wasn’t my idea, give them credit. They did a tax holiday for diapers. All of you know how much these diapers cost,” DeSantis said at a press conference last year. “My oldest is out of them. My middle kid’s almost out of them, but I got the one little girl that still has a lot of diapers left, and so that is going to be a huge relief to a lot of parents throughout the state of Florida.”

Could 2023 be the year that the diaper tax break breaks through for good? Before the 2022 Session, Book and Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani proposed the permanent tax break. Book has stumped for a version of that legislation for years. But with the momentum of having the tax break in the current budget with the blessing of the current Governor, 2023 may be the year that relief becomes permanent.

Book has said previously that such a law would align Florida with other states that have made the move.

“After years of fighting, we were successful in achieving one of my longstanding priorities: the elimination of sales tax on diapers for working families across the state,” Book said in a news release.

“While we are truly helping families with young children across the state, the powers that be limited us last Session in only providing this relief for infant diapers, for one year. Now, Rep. Eskamani and I are continuing to fight for a permanent exemption on all diapers — including adult incontinence products — because working families shouldn’t be taxed on essential health care items.”