As food prices remain high, some states put grocery taxes on ice
As inflation soared in the past year, families in some states suffered a double whammy — paying food sales taxes on top of higher-priced groceries.
At least five of the 13 states where groceries were taxed as of last Jan. 1 passed laws to reduce, eliminate or ease the pinch — Kansas, Virginia, Illinois, Tennessee and Idaho. Efforts failed in several other states.
Dania Maxwell, Los Angeles Times
Some states have begun phasing out sales taxes on groceries.
Almost all states have seen their budget surpluses grow in the past two years, thanks to federal COVID-19 relief funds and increasing corporate tax revenues as the economy recovers from the pandemic.
State officials are weighing whether this time of plenty is the moment to toss out a regressive tax — even though it would be a stable source of revenue during a recession. The grocery tax is regressive because food is a necessity, and people with less means pay a larger share of their income on food than people who are better off.
Most states don’t tax groceries, Richard Auxier, senior policy associate with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, noted in an interview.
Grocery taxes that remain are “there for a reason. They’re needed as part of the revenue system, or because (elected officials) would rather cut other taxes,” such as the income tax, Auxier said.
Some states took relatively small steps last year. Tennessee, which dropped its grocery sales tax from 5% to 4% in 2017, lifted the tax for a month last August. Illinois paused its grocery tax for a year, starting last July 1, and Idaho increased the state tax credit for grocery purchases.
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eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
If you're feeling like grocery prices have inched up seemingly overnight, you're not alone. The last time grocery costs spiked this much was in 1980, when the U.S. was coming off more than a decade of rising prices in the wake of higher government borrowing and spending spurred by World War II and the Vietnam War.
Today, few seem to agree on what's behind rapid inflationary growth. Some business leaders, politicians and economists link increasing wages, while others say pandemic stimulus checks issued to consumers and businesses play a big part. Then there's Russia's war with Ukraine, major supply chain disruptions and record corporate profits. Time will tell which may be the driving factor.
For now, nearly everyone can agree that the result is the same: rising costs are hitting Americans' wallets. An estimated 93% of U.S. adults surveyed said the prices of goods in their metro area increased over the last two months, according to the Census Bureau's Oct. 5 Household Pulse Survey. The same survey found that 83% of adults said they're somewhat or very concerned about additional price increases over the next six months—an understandable reaction for anyone who has walked past a grocery store shelf recently.
Food at home, the term used by statistical agencies to describe grocery items purchased to eat at home, rose in price by 11.2% year over year in September 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS gathers information about the prices of goods by sending researchers to visit retail stores in major metro areas and report the prices of commonly purchased items, including eggs, coffee, and meats.
Experian created a hypothetical basket of commonly purchased food items to illustrate how the affordability of essential foods has shifted in recent years for the American consumer. This analysis uses price data from the BLS, wage data from the Census Bureau, and news reports on inflation. Continue reading to learn how food price inflation is hitting home across the country.
eldar nurkovic // ShutterstockIf you're feeling like grocery prices have inched up seemingly overnight, you're not alone. The last time grocery costs spiked this much was in 1980, when the U.S. was coming off more than a decade of rising prices in the wake of higher government borrowing and spending spurred by World War II and the Vietnam War.
Today, few seem to agree on what's behind rapid inflationary growth. Some business leaders, politicians and economists link increasing wages, while others say pandemic stimulus checks issued to consumers and businesses play a big part. Then there's Russia's war with Ukraine, major supply chain disruptions and record corporate profits. Time will tell which may be the driving factor.
For now, nearly everyone can agree that the result is the same: rising costs are hitting Americans' wallets. An estimated 93% of U.S. adults surveyed said the prices of goods in their metro area increased over the last two months, according to the Census Bureau's Oct. 5 Household Pulse Survey. The same survey found that 83% of adults said they're somewhat or very concerned about additional price increases over the next six months—an understandable reaction for anyone who has walked past a grocery store shelf recently.
Food at home, the term used by statistical agencies to describe grocery items purchased to eat at home, rose in price by 11.2% year over year in September 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS gathers information about the prices of goods by sending researchers to visit retail stores in major metro areas and report the prices of commonly purchased items, including eggs, coffee, and meats.
Experian created a hypothetical basket of commonly purchased food items to illustrate how the affordability of essential foods has shifted in recent years for the American consumer. This analysis uses price data from the BLS, wage data from the Census Bureau, and news reports on inflation. Continue reading to learn how food price inflation is hitting home across the country.
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Lizardflms // Shutterstock
Ongoing food supply-chain issues kicked off by the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting the cost of groceries today.
The cost of groceries inflated about 0.2% from November to December, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Annually, the price is up about 11.8%.
During the initial lockdowns, food producers struggled with a manageable system that would allow them to serve consumers. Labor disruptions also increased food production costs as more funds had to be invested in training workers and protecting food from contamination. Food growers, processors, and distributors were required to adjust packaging, heed new labeling requirements, and meet heightened demand from food retailers.
The effects of these changes are still plaguing grocery store shoppers. So, which food items have seen the biggest uptick in pricing recently? Stacker used monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find the eight grocery items that experienced the largest price increases in the last month. Stacker excluded some hyper-specific meat categories in order to better understand grocery price fluctuations more broadly.
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Lizardflms // ShutterstockOngoing food supply-chain issues kicked off by the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting the cost of groceries today.
The cost of groceries inflated about 0.2% from November to December, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Annually, the price is up about 11.8%.
During the initial lockdowns, food producers struggled with a manageable system that would allow them to serve consumers. Labor disruptions also increased food production costs as more funds had to be invested in training workers and protecting food from contamination. Food growers, processors, and distributors were required to adjust packaging, heed new labeling requirements, and meet heightened demand from food retailers.
The effects of these changes are still plaguing grocery store shoppers. So, which food items have seen the biggest uptick in pricing recently? Stacker used monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find the eight grocery items that experienced the largest price increases in the last month. Stacker excluded some hyper-specific meat categories in order to better understand grocery price fluctuations more broadly.
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“The basic idea is the grocery tax on food is particularly problematic to lower-income households,” said Norbert Wilson, a professor of food, economics and community at the Duke Divinity School and director of Duke University’s World Food Policy Center. He has researched the correlation between grocery taxes and increased food insecurity.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a household with limited or uncertain access to adequate food as food insecure. In 2021, about 13.5 million or 10% of American households were food insecure and had difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all members of the household.
Participants in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps, generally are shielded from grocery tax collected separately at the point of sale, but in some areas, tax already is included in the shelf price of some items. So, SNAP participants do pay the tax on those items. Recipients also typically run out of benefits before the end of the month. Plus, not every household with a low income is eligible or signs up for SNAP, leaving gaps in coverage, Wilson said.
Cutting or repealing the grocery tax is generally seen as making the tax code fairer and helping families with low incomes afford the food they need to live healthier lives. But not everyone sees the issue that way.
“Quite simply, politicians haven’t understood who the grocery tax exemption helps most,” said Jared Walczak, vice president for state projects at the Tax Foundation, a conservative-leaning think tank in Washington, D.C.
Politicians may think families with low incomes benefit most, he said, but it’s actually the middle class that does. That’s because even though buyers are shielded from the tax when they pay with food stamps, those with low incomes often buy prepared foods — such as rotisserie chickens, deli items and fast food — that are taxed.
Walczak argued in a recent report that a more comprehensive approach would broaden sales taxes to include groceries and consumer services (which high earners use more), paired with a grocery tax credit and income tax reductions.
Harry Kaiser, professor of applied economics and management at Cornell University, co-authored a study with Duke’s Wilson on grocery taxes and food insecurity in 2021. It found the average grocery tax was about 4.2%, which adds up for families with low incomes.
“I’m all for getting rid of the grocery tax. The problem is, it’s not easy to replace it,” Kaiser said.
Cutting or eliminating the grocery tax is expensive to the states. As grocery tax revenue typically goes toward public education, health care and transportation, if a state fails to offset the lost revenue, it could put crucial public services at risk, said Eric Figueroa, senior manager of strategic projects and initiatives at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and that would especially hurt people of color and families with low and moderate incomes.
In Virginia, for example, getting rid of the state grocery sales tax is projected to cost $399 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1, the first full fiscal year of implementation. The cost is projected to increase to $415 million in fiscal 2028.
Virginia’s new law removes the state’s 1.5% state tax on groceries and certain essential items, such as diapers and feminine hygiene products.
The new law leaves in place a 1% local grocery tax, with revenues going to local counties or school districts, that is largely used for education. State Sen. Bill DeSteph, a Republican, plans to introduce a bill to make the local tax optional.
“With the cost of everything going up, people need a break,” DeSteph said in an interview. “One percent of a $100 grocery bill is a dollar, but it’s something.”
