MOBILE — “Alabama is one of only three states that tax the sale of hearing aids.”
With that statement, State Rep. Margie Wilcox (R-Mobile) had the full attention of the Mobile County Republican Executive Committee at their meeting on Monday.
Following a presentation by Wilcox, the Mobile GOP voted unanimously to recommend removing sales tax from hearing aid purchases by municipal governments and the county commission in Mobile County.
Wilcox already passed a bill in the Alabama Legislature that removed state sales tax on hearing aids but felt that one further step needed to be done: removing the hearing aids tax by city and county governments.
Wilcox sponsored and carried House Bill 51, which removed the state sales tax from hearing aids in the 2024 legislative session. It passed both houses and was signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey as Act 24-400.
Other city and county governments across Alabama will be asked to follow suit and remove the local sales tax on hearing aids. The City of Madison was the first local government to do so.
While hearing aids can be needed by persons of any age, they are predominantly needed by senior citizens on fixed incomes. Insurance and Medicare do not cover the tax on hearing aids.
The removal of the state sales tax on hearing aids costs the state's Education Fund an estimated $3.1 million a year.
Wilcox represents House District 104 in Mobile, Tillman’s Corner and Mobile County.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler’s beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama. He writes about Alabama people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com for comments.
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