NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — During the next legislative session, Tennessee lawmakers will address two bills to remove the state's grocery tax.
In November, Democratic Representative Aftyn Behn filed a bill and now Republican Representative Elaine Davis has filed a separate bill that would end the grocery tax.
Tennessee is one of 13 states with a grocery tax and it comes in at 4%. The tax brings in an estimated $700 million a year in revenue.
"The election, I think, just generated a lot of buzz around ending the grocery tax," Behn said. "Especially since Tennessee has some of the highest inflationary costs of groceries in the country."
Though both bills aim to end the grocery tax, they propose different ways to achieve that goal; Behn's bill looks at closing tax loopholes. Specifically, Behn's bill would enact the "Business Enterprise Tax Act." Behn told News 2 that she thinks if businesses start paying taxes they're supposed to, it would make up for the lost grocery tax revenue.
In a statement, Davis said:
"Anyone that's willing to work with me to secure a true tax cut for Tennessee families, without any consequences for our business owners or their employees, is welcome to support my bill."
Tennessee Republicans still have a supermajority, which means they could pass Davis' bill easily, but Behn has been encouraged about the idea of compromise.