NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — As many Tennesseans struggle to pay for their groceries, a state lawmaker reintroduces a bill to help them.

Representative Aftyn Behn wants to get rid of the 4% sales tax on groceries. However, opponents of her bill said it could have costly consequences in the long term.

Checking out at the grocery store is expensive for some Tennesseans.

“It’s definitely been higher, especially the past two years,” she said, “this past year, we’ve noticed our groceries, but almost increased, like $100 for the month.”

To help shoppers like Sbravati, Representative Behn is pushing to get rid of the grocery sales tax by making big corporations pay for the tax cut.

“One mechanism of the bill is a corporate minimum, where if a company isn’t paying the excise or if it’s not paying the franchise tax then this would kick in and it would ensure that they are paying taxes,” Behn said.

Her last attempt was not successful, but she hopes she will get bi-partisan support this time.

“I think there is more of an appetite now that we’ve had an election where candidates on both sides, the Republican and the Democratic party, ran on eliminating taxes for working families,” she said.

Republican Representative William Lamberth sent us this statement:

“Tennessee Republicans have cut $5.1 billion in taxes over the last decade, making our great state one of the lowest taxed states in the nation. Cutting the grocery tax is an idea that we have supported for years, but paying for it by punishing the business owners who create our jobs and their employees is socialism at its worst. Representative Behn’s bill will increase business taxes by $800 million. That might work in liberal California, but not in Tennessee.”

Lipscomb University Finance Professor Julio Rivas said the grocery tax cut would only provide short-term relief.

“Companies need to make money so if you are charging them more taxes, they are going to have to increase their prices,” Rivas said.

However, Sbravati said she lived in a state without a grocery sales tax and has seen a difference. She said she hopes the bill can pass.

“I think the corporations can afford it right now. So I think it is helpful,” she said.

Representative Aftyn Behn said we can afford to give working-class families a tax break.