Diaper Taxes in 33 States Hurting Families' Budgets

The baby formula shortage has been getting a lot of press but the group Baby2Baby says diaper taxes are another headache facing families with infants and it’s mounting a Twitter campaign to put pressure on the 33 states that charge sales tax on diapers.

“While eliminating the diaper tax is not a complete solution to diaper need, it could allow many families to pay for another month’s supply. Support is not currently provided by federal assistance programs like WIC or SNAP (formerly called “food stamps”) so every diaper counts,” Baby2Baby says on its website.

Perhaps surprisingly, some of the highest diaper taxes are in states generally considered conservative. Utah, for example, levies as much as 8.35% on diapers while Arizona’s tax goes as high as 9.6%.

Baby2Baby shares a video of actor Gwyneth Paltrow on Instagram in which she pretends to endorse a $120 pack of 12 diapers, hoping to raise awareness that a family could pay $120 a year in diaper taxes.

“If treating diapers like a luxury makes you mad, so should taxing them like a luxury,”  Paltrow said.

According to Baby2Baby, one in three moms can barely afford diapers. Even a small change in price could mean an extra month’s supply.

Since 2018, five states have repealed or suspended the diaper tax. Six other states have pending legislation to change their tax codes for diapers.

Baby2Baby has a complete list of states on its website, showing which ones tax diapers, which ones don’t and which ones are thinking of making a change. Its asking supporters in diaper-taxing to send a tweet to their governors asking them to eliminate the tax.