There is a Time for Everything
From Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld’s Substack, August 12, 2024
It’s time we repeal the grocery tax. Why is this such a difficult tax for your Idaho legislators to remove? In this time of inflation, the only beneficiary of the grocery tax is your state government. If we were to repeal it, you—the citizen—would be able to buy more groceries, and your local grocery stores would benefit as well, thanks to increased sales.
You hear all the excuses for why the grocery tax shouldn’t be repealed.
Some say it’s not a significant amount of relief. But we must always seek ways to alleviate burdens on our constituents, regardless of the size. And because this is a small amount, our state government won’t suffer when it’s gone.
Some argue that the grocery tax ensures that illegal immigrants pay their share of taxes. But should we force our citizens to pay extra taxes just to ensure that illegals contribute? If we want illegal immigrants to pay their fair share, let’s focus on securing our borders and helping them come here legally, assimilate as Americans, and become citizens so they can contribute equally to the burdens we all share to maintain our Republic.
Another argument is that we need tourists to help pay their share while visiting our state. But again, we’re punishing Idaho citizens just to collect a few crumbs from travelers. In reality, more tourist dollars would flow into Idaho businesses, helping our local economy thrive. When our businesses thrive, so does our state.
Some claim we benefit more from the grocery tax credit than we would from grocery tax relief. But who says we have to eliminate the grocery tax credit? Why can’t we provide our people with both?”
It is time to give Idahoans the relief they deserve and make them our top priority. Read more.
Grocery Tax Repeal: Myths & Misunderstandings
From Ronald Nate, Ph.D., Idaho Freedom Foundation, August 8, 2024
It’s been fascinating over the years to see Idaho families consistently ask for grocery tax relief only to encounter a barrage of falsehoods and unsubstantiated claims from lawmakers who think they know better. Here are a few of the most egregious bogies offered up, contrasted with the reality of how it works:
Claim: The grocery tax is good because it allows Idaho to collect taxes from out-of-state tourists.
Reality: The claim is never backed up with numbers, but it’s not very reasonable to think tourists are buying tons of groceries. Also, we should not support a shoddy tax policy burdening all Idahoans for the mere purpose of collecting some small amount of money from tourists. Certainly, there are better ways to target tourists if that’s the Legislature’s desire — might as well put tax booths at the borders. Finally, we should not support taxes for the mere purpose of extracting dollars from tourists. Wouldn’t it be better for Idaho if tourists spent their dollars on Idaho business and not on Idaho government? Read more.
Vote to Repeal the Grocery Tax November 5, 2024