Proposed bill would mean savings for Kentucky families with small children

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Ask any parent who has a young child right now, you spend a lot of money on diapers and other baby products. But, what if you could save some money? What if parents didn’t have to pay sales tax on diapers and other baby products?

According to the National Diaper Bank Network, there are ten states that exempt diapers from taxation. Some local lawmakers want Kentucky to be included in that list.

Representative Attica Scott sponsored House Bill 54 in January. It would remove the tax on certain baby products.

“House Bill 54 would remove the tax on certain baby products, diapers, wipes, baby bottles, nipples for the bottles, liners for the baby bottles,” Representative Attica Scott said. “Those products that are essential to the good healthy development of a baby.”

The money saved would help parents like Kambria Littrell.

"I'm a single parent of two," Littrell said. "It gets rough, very rough. But, I wouldn't trade it for nothing."

Littrell's son DJ is nine months old and her daughter Kynlee is 21 months old. With her kids being so young, she goes through a lot of diapers. She says she spends about $85 a month on them.

"Diaper are expensive," Littrell said. "They are both in different sizes and brands."

Scott says her constituents requested help after struggling paycheck to paycheck to buy the necessities for their families.

“If you are not able to afford diapers and wipes for your baby to send them to daycare you aren’t able to send your child to daycare,” Scott said. “That will impact your ability to work, which has an impact on your household’s finances and your ability to make ends meet. With House Bill 54, at least we are doing something to mitigate the expenses for families for paying those taxes on those necessities.”

Kentucky's sales tax is 6%. You take that money that you would have spent over and over again and multiply that by several years, Littrell says that's a lot of savings.

"Adding up that's a lot, 6% of each that's a lot to me," LIttrell said. "I'm low income that's a lot to me."

Not charging that tax would mean several millions of dollars that the state wouldn’t make. But Scott says that money that parents saved, would still go back into the system another way. They can pay off bills, put food on the tabe, buy school supplies for their kids. Littrell says the savings would help her buy a car.

"It would save a lot of money especially for the ones who really need to save the money," Littrell said.

House Bill 54 would apply to all parents, regardless of income. Scott says if it passes, it would go into effect in August of this year and it would last for four years.

Scott says she wants to be realistic to see how it fiscally impacts the state and Kentucky families.

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