KDSN RADIO News
House bills would eliminate Iowa sales tax on toilet paper, detergent
A slate of bills advancing in the Iowa House would eliminate the state sales tax on everyday items like toilet paper and laundry detergent and extend a state tax credit for child care expenses to all Iowa households.
House Speaker Pat Grassley is the lead sponsor of these bills and began talking about these moves in January. “What we hear on the campaign trail — the impact that inflation’s having on Iowans and at the state level, we don’t affect monetary policy at the federal level, so what can we control and that’s taxing of items we feel is the quickest way to provide relief,” Grassley said during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS.
Republican Representative Christian Hermanson of Mason City has been picked to lead the debate on the bill to eliminate the state sales tax on laundry detergent. “I think every little bit where the state can lean in and reduce the burden of sales tax on a family, on daily necessities like toilet paper or…just detergent in general is probably a good thing,” Hermanson said.
This slate of proposals is a priority for House Republicans and was approved by subcommittees early this morning. “I believe good tax policy is always a priority in the legislature,” Hermanson said. “What our Senate colleagues on the other side of the rotunda do is anybody’s guess.”
Republican Representative Craig Johnson of Independence is on the subcommittee that advanced a bill to eliminate the tax on vitamins and nutritional supplements. “Anything that comes to tax reduction should be reviewed and looked at, and this is just one step of many that we’ve got going on this session,” Johnson said.
Another bill advancing in the House expands the state tax credit for child care expenses to all families. Under current law, it’s limited to households with an annual income of $35,000 or less.
