Diaper Tax Bill Protects Parents’ Bottom Line?

Sacramento, CA — Proposed today is a new bill that bipartisan proponents hope will relieve the chafe of purchasing diapers, a costly necessity for families of young children.

Democratic State Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, of San Diego, who introduced the proposed bill AB 717, states, “There’s no question that diapers are an absolute health necessity for young children and it’s time that California’s tax code treat it that way. Besides keeping babies healthy, diapers need to be available to new parents to access childcare for work.” Gonzalez, herself a single mother, points out that childcare facilities generally require supplies of parent-provided diapers. So really, she says, “If we’re serious about getting parents back to work and providing them every opportunity to support their families, we have to ease their ability to purchase diapers.”

While food and prescription health products are currently exempt from the state’s sales tax, diapers are not. Proponents estimate that exempting these products would save families up to $100 per child each year, about what it costs per month per child. Current population figures indicate that there are approximately 1.27 million “diaper-age” (under two-and-a-half) children in California whose families would benefit from the bill.

Six states already exempt diapers from their sales. Adds Republican Senator Joel Anderson, of Alpine, who co-authored the measure, “All Californians deserve bipartisan tax breaks, even if we deliver them one baby step at a time.”