(NASHVILLE) — State Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) is sponsoring an initiative designed to further reduce taxes on Tennessee’s workers.
House Bill 41 — currently before members of the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee — rolls back the Professional Privilege Tax over a five-year period, reducing it by $80.00 annually until 2022 when the tax is completely phased out.
According to the Tennessee Department of Revenue (DOR), the Professional Privilege Tax is applicable to those licensed or registered to practice in 22 different professions. They range from accountants, dentists, and physicians to audiologists, speech pathologists, and veterinarians.
Those registered or licensed to practice in one of these professions are required to pay a $400 annual tax. This fee applies to all professionals in these fields, regardless of whether they work as needed, part-time, or full-time.
According to the DOR, 225,000 Tennesseans pay approximately $90,000,000 annually in professional privilege taxes. The tax is due on June 1 every year, and it is paid for the following 12 months.
Representative Lynn continues to lead Republican efforts to further reduce taxes on Tennesseans. House Bill 41 is the latest way she is working to ease tax burdens on our hardworking men, women, and families.
“The Professional Privilege Tax unfairly and unnecessarily penalizes our citizens whose profession occupations fall into one of these categories and require a license,” said Representative Lynn. “No other state in our entire nation has a similar tax, and it is time for Tennessee to take action to end this inequity. I am committed to supporting the ambitions and dreams of our industrious Tennesseans by eliminating this oppressive occupational tax in the weeks ahead.”
Since 2011, Representative Lynn and House Republicans have cut more than $800 million in taxes — including a 30 percent cut on groceries. They have also phased out the inheritance tax, eliminated the gift tax, and raised the exemption level on the Hall tax while scheduling it to be completely phased out in the next two years.
For more information about House Bill 41, please click here<http://www.capitol.tn.
Susan Lynn serves as the Chairman of the House Consumer & Human Resources Subcommittee. Lynn is also a member of the House Consumer & Human Resources, House Finance Ways & Means and House Ethics Committee, as well as the Joint Fiscal Review Committee. She lives in Mount Juliet and represents House District 57, which includes Wilson County. Lynn can be reached by email at [email protected]<