Benton Times

Recognizing the significance of supporting military families, Congressmen Steve Womack and Seth Moulton have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at eliminating taxes on Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) payments. The legislation, known as the BNA Fairness Act, seeks to ensure that service members retain the full amount of benefits they are entitled to for their service.

Congressman Womack emphasized the rationale behind the bill, stating, “Providing a supplement to support military families and taxing that benefit doesn’t make sense. The BNA should be treated just like any other military benefit outside of earned income. My bill with Congressman Moulton does just that. This allowance—especially without the tax burden—is a combat multiplier. Free from additional financial stress, our men and women in uniform can better focus on their mission of defending our homeland. I’m proud to introduce this bill to ensure our troops receive the full benefits they’ve earned.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Congressman Moulton remarked, “It is simply unacceptable for servicemembers and their families, who already make many sacrifices for our country, to then struggle to put food on the table or make ends meet. By treating the Basic Needs Allowance like other military benefits, this bill provides critical relief to service members and their families. As we keep working to improve quality of life across the military community, I’m very proud today to co-lead this bipartisan effort.”

The Arkansas Council of Chapters (COC) of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), representing nearly 5 thousand MOAA members in Arkansas, has expressed its full support for Congressman Womack's reintroduction of the BNA Fairness Act.

Additionally backed by Congressman Rob Wittman as an original cosponsor, this proposal amends tax codes specifically excluding BNA benefits from taxable income. This adjustment aligns BNA with other non-taxable military benefits such as Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS).

The initiative aims at allowing eligible military families greater financial security by retaining more of their earned benefits which assists them in purchasing groceries and ensuring food security—a step towards alleviating financial burdens so those serving can concentrate on their duties.