Diapers are now tax free in Florida and Maryland, amid inflation
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Inflation led to diaper price increases. Photo: Bess Adler/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Parents and caregivers in Florida and Maryland are getting a tax break on diapers, starting Friday.
Why it matters: With inflation at a record 40-year high, the average cost of diapers nationwide has gone up by nearly 22% since 2018, according to NielsenIQ, a data firm that tracks consumer prices, Boston public radio station WBUR reports.
The big picture: Children require at least 50 diaper changes per week or 200 diaper changes per month, according to the National Diaper Bank Network.
- The estimated cost of a year's supply of diapers for one child is $936 per year, the network said. With a 7% sales tax rate cut that would be a savings of $66.
- California, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York are among the states that already have tax exemptions on diapers, according to the network, which it says works "to end diaper need and period poverty in the United States."
Details: Florida has approved a variety of sales tax holidays and the yearlong holidays on diapers as well as clothes and shoes for kids under 5 are expected to save $120.4 million through June 30, 2023.
- Three other Florida tax holidays start Friday: Freedom Week (July 1-7), a yearlong break on Energy Star appliances and a 2-year exemption on impact-resistant windows, doors and garage doors.
- Maryland is exempting diapers, diaper rash cream, and baby wipes from its sales and use tax.
What's next: The city of Denver is eliminating the sales tax on all diapers and adult incontinence products, effective Oct. 1, Axios Denver's Esteban L. Hernandez reports. Colorado will eliminate the state tax starting Jan. 1.
- Iowa is making child and adult diapers, both cloth and disposable, exempt from state tax starting Jan. 1, according to legislation signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in mid-June.
- Ohio is considering the elimination of a tax on diapers, News5Cleveland.com reported.
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