Democratic Governor Laura Kelly is again proposing to fully eliminate the sales tax on food in Kansas, and the idea might again run into opposition. The Kansas News Service reports that Republican lawmakers could use the tax cut for a political advantage in the next election. Governor Kelly recently called for eliminating the Kansas sales tax on groceries by April 1st. Currently the tax is set for a phaseout that will eliminate it in 2025. The Republican-controlled Legislature has not expressed an interest in Kelly’s plan.
Alexandra Middlewood, a Political Scientist at Wichita State University, says the current phaseout aligns well with the 2024 elections and could help Republicans, saying it’s more to their advantage to keep it the same way and to try to gain some political advantages in the next election. The food sales tax is set for its first drop from 6.5% to 4% on january 1.
