KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Rep. Patty Lewis, a Democrat representing Jackson County, filed a bill Wednesday to eliminate the state sales tax on diapers and feminine hygiene products.
House Bill 2187 would repeal the state sales tax on diapers, feminine products and other incontinence product purchases.
“I’ve worked on this issue for several years now, and it keeps getting closer and closer to the finish line,” Lewis said in a press release. “The majority of the House knows this bill will help lighten the load for working families, especially families with young children who usually need the most financial assistance.”
Currently, Missouri has a 4.225% sales tax on feminine products and diapers, according to nonprofit Missouri Appleseed. The tax on such products is known as a luxury tax, which legally deems the hygiene products as "non-essential."
Lewis said she is confident the bill will gain approval and go into effect in 2024, according to a press release.
The House approved the bill in previous sessions and was included in an omnibus bill in 2023, but the bill was revised in a conference committee to exclude the tax relief on the hygiene products before it reached Gov. Mike Parson, according to Lewis.
Lewis' bill includes two additional provisions to extend and expand tax relief to Missouri diaper banks, which she hopes will help garner support for the bill.
One provision would extend the diaper bank tax credit for the state's five current diaper banks. The tax credit is set to expire in December 2024.
The other provision would expand the tax credit to the Diaper Bank of the Ozarks in Springfield, Missouri. Currently, there are no diaper banks eligible for the tax credit in the most southern region of Missouri, where Diaper Bank of the Ozarks is located.
“The Diaper Bank Tax Credit has been a resounding success for babies across our state, and we should spend this session ensuring that we can continue serving some of our youngest citizens,” Lewis said in the press release.
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