Alabama lawmakers approve tax cuts for food, diapers and other items
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday voted to cut the state sales tax on food and to exempt diapers, baby formula and menstrual hygiene products from the state sales tax altogether.
The Alabama Senate approved both bills by votes of 34-0. The bills now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature.
The food tax reduction comes as lawmakers in both parties said families are being hurt by soaring grocery prices.
The reduction, if signed into law, will lower the state sales tax on food from 3% to 2% beginning Sept. 1. Lawmakers in 2023 reduced the tax from 4% to 3%. An additional reduction to 2% was planned but hinged on budget growth that did not materialize.
“We’re still one of a few states that taxes groceries. We’re headed toward zero taxes, we’re headed in the right direction. This is big,” Republican Rep. Danny Garrett, the sponsor of the bill, said.
The reduction will cost the state about $121 million annually in tax revenue that would otherwise goes to the Education Trust Fund.
The leader of Alabama Arise, an advocacy group that supports policies that help low-income families, said the grocery tax belongs in the “dustbin of history.”
“The grocery tax drives many families deeper into poverty, and Arise remains committed to the goal of eliminating it entirely,” Alabama Arise Executive Director Robyn Hyden said.
Lawmakers also approved a bill that will exempt baby formula, maternity clothing, diapers and menstrual hygiene products from state sales tax. Baby wipes, breast pumps and bottles would also be exempt. The exemption from the 4% sales tax will cost the state about $13 million annually.
“This is a big win for Alabama’s working families,” Democratic Rep. Neil Rafferty, the sponsor of the bill, wrote on social media about the approval.
There was no rapture this week, so the quiz returns. Can you score a perfect 11?
This week, Jimmy Kimmel returned, a weird statue vanished and no one (to our knowledge) got snatched up to heaven.
Trump’s TikTok deal payment criticized as ‘shake-down scheme’ by experts
The U.S. government will collect a multibillion-dollar fee from the American investors who will take over TikTok. Some experts call the fee and other deals like it "extortion."
What schools stand to lose in the battle over the next federal education budget
Education researchers warn budget proposals from the White House and House Republicans would impose steep cuts on some of the nation's most vulnerable students and disadvantaged school communities.
I remember doing the Time Warp: The ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ turns 50
Fifty years ago, on Sept. 26, 1975, The Rocky Horror Picture Show flopped at the U.S. box office — then became the longest-running theatrical release in history.
Fired feds, Trump lovers and veterans: Meet the people applying for ICE jobs
At a recent DHS career expo in Provo, Utah, many attendees hoped to get hired to help with the Trump administration's deportation efforts.
Trump’s Tylenol warning echoes past misconceptions about mothers and autism
Medical scholars say, efforts to find a singular cause for autism has historically led to scrutinizing parents and fueling stigma about autism