How a political race in Kansas could end the state’s food tax
Shoppers in Kansas pay one of the highest sales taxes on groceries in the country. The state’s 6.5 percent tax on food costs a family of four an estimated $500 a year, and anti-poverty advocates have long called for a change to the state’s tax code. In a year when it seems like Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on anything, the push to eliminate a state tax that unduly burdens poor families is getting a bipartisan push this year, writes The Kansas City Star. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who is expected to run against her in the upcoming gubernatorial race, are both calling for cuts to the tax. State lawmakers have long grappled unsuccessfully with how to address the food sales tax problem. Calls from both Kelly and Schmidt for changes to the tax could put pressure on lawmakers to make this the year that they finally act.
