Petition circulates for tax-free groceries across Tennessee
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – An effort to get rid of taxes when you go grocery shopping is underway. It’s called the Grocery Tax Bill and there’s an effort to get signatures for a petition.
FOX13 spoke with people who decided to sign the petition.
“Save me a whole lot of money, I can buy more food,” said David Denton, who was out shopping for groceries over the weekend. “We don’t need sales tax. It’s already high in there.”
Petitions are circulating in hopes of creating a more affordable grocery shopping experience, making groceries tax-free.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Judi Hoffman told us. “So many people who are just barely making it between their rent and their food and their medical expenses, that would sure help them a lot.”
Volunteers with the Central Labor Council collected signatures Saturday in support of the proposed Grocery Tax Bill, also known as House Bill 2043 and Senate Bill 1943. Lawmakers backing the legislation aim to eliminate the tax on groceries across the entire state of Tennessee.
“It would help my household tremendously because I’m here all the time paying taxes on everything,” another shopper told FOX13.
According to the Tax Foundation, 13 states, including Mississippi and Tennessee, still charge sales tax on groceries. Mississippi charges the highest of all 13 states at 7%. Tennessee’s grocery tax rate is set at 4%.
However, the state tax isn’t the only tax placed on groceries in Tennessee. There are also local taxes that add as much as 2.75% to what you pay at checkout.
“Everybody could benefit from tax-free groceries. It’s extra gas in the car. It’s extra food,” said Sweetrica Baker of the Central Labor Council of Memphis.
Volunteers with the Central Labor Council shared plans to visit Nashville on March 12 with their petition in hand. Their goal is 1,000 signatures, which they told FOX13 they have already exceeded. The group expects to have collected between 3,000-4,000 signatures supporting the bill by the time they reach the Tennessee State Capitol.
HB 2043/SB 1943 is authored by Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) and Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville).
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