Bill to reduce taxes on diapers receives warm response from Missouri House committee
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Parents buying diapers for their babies in Missouri currently pay a luxury tax, but one lawmaker wants to reduce that to save those families money.
State Representative Wendy Hausman’s bill would lower what’s called the pink tax, a luxury tax on items women typically pay for, like period products and essentials for a baby. Her bill would reduce the sales tax on diapers and other things by 3%.
Missouri is one of 21 states that taxes diapers and feminine hygiene products as a luxury. Both diapers and feminine hygiene products are taxed at the state’s luxury rate of 4.225%. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates families spend about $1,000 a year on diapers per child. If that cost is reduced by 3%, families would save $30 a year per child.
Similar bills are introduced every year but usually don’t even get to a hearing because of the potential loss in revenue. The state stands to lose between $32 million and $36 million in tax revenue under this proposal, according to the bill’s fiscal report; local municipalities would be unaffected.
“This will allow for the most vulnerable individuals in our state -- being seniors that use incontinence products, mothers and children -- who are going to be the ones who are going to be using these products,” Hausman said in a Tuesday morning hearing on her bill.
The bill received unanimous from a Missouri House of Representatives committee Tuesday, and from organizations including First Chance for Children. It could be voted out of committee as soon as next week.
First Change for Children in Columbia is one of several charities across Missouri that provides families with free access to diapers and other essentials needed to raise a healthy baby. Executive Director Gay Litteken said many families are finding it more difficult to pay for essentials. First Chance for Children alone serves around 4,000 families every year, and gave out over 400,000 diapers last year.
“We are also seeing those higher-income families that fall through the cracks, that aren’t going to receive assistance to help them buy food or supplies,” Litteken said. “That’s where we’re filling that need. Everybody needs help sometimes.”
This comes during a year when the super-majority Republican party is prioritizing tax cuts on things like capital gains and income. Although nothing is at the finish line just yet -- a bill that would eliminate capital gains taxes is close. That would allow people to keep all the money they earn from selling an asset like a car or property.
Other bills advancing in the legislature would cut taxes on personal property and income. Under one proposal, the revenue from income tax would be replaced with sales taxes on services that are not currently taxed, such as haircuts or real estate transactions. Income tax makes up more than half of Missouri’s general revenue. If this bill es through the House and Senate, it would still have to be approved by Missouri voters before going into effect.
General revenue is the money left to be spent, there is more money that’s already been allocated to specific state departments. About 60 percent of Missouri’s general revenue comes from income taxes.
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