DeSantis keeps heat on gas stoves issue, proposing tax exemption

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is keeping rhetoric surrounding gas stoves on high, proposing a sales tax exemption for the appliances.

In a new statewide budget proposal, DeSantis, who is widely seen as a potential Republican presidential contender, called for a permanent sales tax exemption for gas stoves.

“They want your gas stove, and we’re not going to let that happen,” the governor said on Wednesday.

After a federal regulator floated the idea of a gas ban or regulations, Republicans embraced the gas stoves issue as part of a larger culture war narrative, making the case that Democrats are trying to change their way of life.

In Florida, gas stoves are not particularly prevalent. Just 8 percent of households use natural gas cooking appliances, while 92 percent use electric, according to a federal survey.

DeSantis acknowledged in his press conference that many people in the state use electric appliances, but said defending gas stoves was a matter of “principle.”

Though an outright federal ban on the appliances is unlikely, the Consumer Product Safety Commission may try put some regulations on the stoves that stop short of banning them amid concerns about their health impacts.

Studies have found that gas stoves can contain hazardous air pollutants and have linked them to childhood asthma.

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