Sales Tax on Groceries

Alabama Arise is urging Alabamians to press their House and Senate Representatives to vote yes on legislation to remove the sales tax on groceries. It's true, the tax is more of a burden on the poor because they spend a larger percentage of their income on food. Then again it is also true that the poorest receive food stamps and pay NO sales tax on the food they obtain that way. Democratic Rep. John Knight has been introducing and pushing this bill for a decade...will he have to wait for Republicans to come around and support it, the way his bill to raise the income tax threshold finally became law? Anyway, here's the message from Arise:

Time to end the state grocery tax! Take Action! Ask your legislator to vote yes on House Bill 116. With unemployment rising and food prices soaring, it's never been more important to offer Alabama's working families some relief. The grocery tax bill that will soon go to the House floor would do just that. The bill would lower the grocery tax without reducing funding for education. It would end the 4-cent state grocery tax and pay for the reduction by capping the unfair deduction for federal income taxes, which gives huge tax breaks to people at very high incomes. Ask your representative to support House Bill 116, Rep. John Knight's grocery tax bill. Point out that our tax system is out of balance. The top 3 percent of taxpayers get more than half of the benefit from a deduction that costs $770 million. By ending this tax break for people at high incomes, we can afford to lower the grocery tax, which will benefit everyone. In short, Rep. Knight's bill will help put things back into balance. House Bill 116 has passed out of committee, but that is only the first step. Let your legislator hear from you now. Thank you for doing your part!