NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Grocery prices are high enough to drive everyone crazy. And once again, there’s a push to eliminate Tennessee’s grocery tax.
“You buy what you can and when you can,” said Mia Eldridge, a Tennessee State University senior who’s always looking for ways to save money. “As a college student, it can be hard to get benefits sometimes,” she added.
Eldridge isn’t alone. Americans across the country are feeling the pinch of high grocery costs, which became a major factor in the 2024 presidential election.
“We saw both Republican candidates and Democratic candidates running on eliminating the grocery tax. There’s much more of a statewide appetite to eliminate it,” said Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville.
During the last legislative session, Behn and Sen. Charlane Oliver introduced a bill to end the grocery tax in Tennessee. While it didn’t pass, Behn has refiled the bill and hopes to get it across the finish line in 2025.
“It’s tough for me. As legislators, we make very little to be here, and I’m pinching pennies to pay for food as well,” Behn said.
To fund the proposal, Behn wants to examine the state’s tax structure and ensure corporate accountability, though many of her colleagues have disagreed in past sessions.
“We are a low-tax state for corporations, but we’re a high-tax state for Tennesseans that go to the grocery store every day,” Behn said.
Currently, Tennessee has a 4% state tax on groceries, with local governments allowed to add up to 2.75%.
In Nashville, Mayor Freddie O’Connell has expressed interest in exploring a reduction of that local tax.
“That is something we’ll at least look to get a cost estimate on,” O’Connell said last week.
Behn estimated that Tennessee families would save about $400 a year if the state grocery tax were eliminated.
Eldridge hopes lawmakers will support all Tennesseans.
“Sometimes it doesn’t feel like lawmakers have our best interests. So, I am very glad to hear that they are looking into that,” she said.
According to Behn, people across the state have reached out in support of her bill since she refiled it. The 2025 General Assembly session begins Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at aaron.cantrell@newschannel5.com
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