Buy These Groceries ‘Tax-Free’ in Tennessee This Month

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In Tennessee, groceries will be a little cheaper this August as Monday starts the first day shoppers can purchase select items tax-free.

This comes after the approved grocery tax suspension proposed by Governor Bill Lee (R) in March, as a response to rising inflation, which could add up to 10 percent off shopper’s receipts.

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“During this time of record inflation and high prices, we’re proud to be able to put money back in the pockets of Tennesseans,” Lee said in a statement last month. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of these savings opportunities.”

The state said approved items will not have the four percent state sales tax plus the applicable local tax.

Not all items are available tax-free, however. Candy, alcohol beverages, tobacco, prepared food and dietary supplements will not qualify.

Reuters reported that June had the largest increase of U.S. annual consumer prices since 1981, with a 9.1% increase. This has left Americans having to spend more at the pump and at the grocery store, with food prices increasing at 1% for the sixth straight month.

Here are all the qualified grocery items, according to the Tennessee Department of Revenue:

  • Baby food
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Beverage powders (other than dietary supplements)
  • Biscuit mix
  • Bottled water (carbonated, flavored, sweetened or unsweetened)
  • Bouillon cubes
  • Bread
  • Butter
  • Cake mixes
  • Cakes
  • Canned foods
  • Cereal
  • Cheese
  • Chip dip
  • Chips (potato, corn, etc.)
  • Chocolate (unsweetened)
  • Cocoa (powdered)
  • Coffee
  • Condiments (e.g., ketchup, mustard,
  • mayonnaise)
  • Cookies
  • Cooking oil
  • Dairy products
  • Eggs
  • Fish and meats
  • Flavoring extracts
  • Flour
  • Food colorings
  • Frostings
  • Frozen meals
  • Fruit (fresh or unsweetened dried)
  • Fruit juices
  • Gelatin
  • Granola and breakfast bars containing flour
  • Gravies and sauces (mixes or extracts)
  • Herbs and spices
  • Honey
  • Ice (e.g., cubes, crushed)
  • Ice cream
  • Jams and jellies
  • Luncheon meats
  • Margarine
  • Marinated raw meats
  • Meat extracts
  • Meat tenderizers
  • Nuts (unsweetened or salted)
  • Olives
  • Pasta
  • Pastries
  • Peanut butter
  • Pepper
  • Pickles
  • Pies
  • Popcorn
  • Popsicles
  • Poultry
  • Pretzels
  • Pumpkins
  • Raisins
  • Raw eggs, fish, & meats requiring cooking
  • Relishes
  • Salad dressing and mixes
  • Salad oil
  • Salt (granular)
  • Seasonings • sherbet
  • Shortening
  • Soft drinks
  • Sugar and sugar substitutes
  • Sweeteners
  • Tea (bags, leaves, bottled)
  • Trail mix
  • Vegetable juices
  • Vegetables (fresh, frozen, dried, etc.)
  • Vinegar
  • Yeast
  • Yogurt


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