Miss. Weighs Tax Break for Modular Homes to Speed Rebuilding

A group of Mississippi lawmakers last week quizzed some makers of modular homes about the quality and construction of their products.

But after hours of discussion, legislators left the Capitol without making recommendations on the policy proposal at hand the governor's plan to reduce the sales tax rate on modular homes to speed up the coast's recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

The question-and-answer session came during a meeting of a special House of Representatives committee that's studying Katrina recovery.

Modular houses are made in factories then shipped to home sites and erected on slabs. Because modulars are made to meet local building codes, they're often allowed to be put in places where mobile homes are excluded from permanent placement.