A tax credit that legislators say has proven “vital” to the state’s diaper banks, and to the families that rely on those banks, is set to expire in August. A possible extension has been advanced by a House committee.
The diaper bank tax credit was passed in 2018. It allows Missouri taxpayers to claim up to half of their donations to a diaper bank against what they owe in state taxes, up to $50,000. 101 House members supported it in 2018.
Representative Mark Sharp (D-Kansas City) said the diaper banks that operate in Missouri have come to rely on the support this tax credit generates, and he urged his fellows to advance this extension “so that our diaper banks across the state can continue to do the great job they’re doing with getting millions of diapers to underserved communities.”
Representative Ashley Bland Manlove (D-Kansas City) is the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, who heard the bill.
“I, myself, have gone to buy boxes of diapers to donate … and these boxes are like 30, 40 bucks and up, and babies [need a lot of diapers],” said Bland Manlove. “While we have been on the trend of extending the benevolent tax credits and raising their caps, I hope we can do the same with this one, too.”
Legislators say access to diapers has many repercussions for a family. This includes being the difference between a baby being healthy or suffering serious and even life-threatening medical issues and between a parent or parents landing and maintaining employment or having to stay home due to lack of childcare.
His bill, House Bill 2384, would extend that tax credit’s expiration date from August 28 of this year to August 2030. The committee advanced it 9-0.