Professional Privilege Tax Update

I am requesting you to take action and support Tennessee S.B. 167/ H.B. 601 which would remove audiologists and speech-language pathologists from the list of professions required to pay the professional privilege tax. 

Including my profession in the PPT has always been an unfair tax and in fact discriminatory as  many health care professions are not required to pay this tax at all. For example, speech-language pathologists work very closely with nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists on a daily basis. Yet those professions–and many others–are not included in the list of professions required to pay this tax. 

Additionally, all the professions listed in Tenn. Code Ann. §67-4-1702 pay the same amount of tax – $400 per year. (It started out at $200 and abruptly was increased 100% to $400!)  Many of the listed professions (e.g., physicians, attorneys, podiatrists, optometrists, etc.) earn, on average, more than $75,000 a year. Some have incomes well in excess of $100,000 a year. Most audiologists and speech pathologists earn less than $60,000 a year.

Audiologists and speech-language pathologists are not able to raise their fees to recover the $400 tax. Many audiologists and speech-language pathologists are salaried employees of hospitals or school systems. The audiologists and speech-language pathologists in private practice receive reimbursement from Medicare and private insurance companies at levels set by the government or the companies, which cannot be adjusted to account for the $400 tax. Many professionals (e.g., attorneys, accountants, engineers, etc.) simply adjust their fees to recover the $400 from their clients. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists cannot do that and may end up paying the tax out of their own pocket.

This is a long over-due action to repeal this very unfair tax on your constituents.

I grew up in East Ridge. Thank you for your service Marc.

I look forward to learning that you voted in support of TN S.B. 167/H.B. 601
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