It’s true that the just concluded 2023 Tennessee legislative session has concerned itself at various times — and sometimes oddly — with drag queens, TikTok and firing squads, so residents who care about fiscally conservative government, low taxes and business growth may be wondering how the state fared in these areas.
In spite of some of the aforementioned distractions, legislators kept the state on a strong fiscally conservative track.
“To prepare Tennessee for continued growth and prosperity,” Gov. Bill Lee said in a statement following the end of the session, “we’ve made strategic investments to cut taxes, strengthen our workforce, ensure educational opportunity and modernize transportation infrastructure across our state. I commend the General Assembly for its partnership to pass conservative measures and maintain Tennessee’s reputation for strong fiscal stewardship.”
TikTok, drag queens and firing squads make much more colorful copy, so it may have gone unnoticed by many that the legislature enacted more than $400 million in tax cuts for families and businesses through the Tennessee Works Tax Act, one of the largest tax relief measures in Tennessee history.
Among its tenets, one that will keep money in the pockets of everybody who does the weekly shopping, is a one-time, three-month sales tax holiday (Aug. 1-Oct. 31) on grocery items.