Alabama Leaders Should Make Permanent Removal of Grocery Tax Reduction A Priority

One of the major issues in this year’s presidential election has been the increase in grocery prices. Actually, over the past three and a half years, the price of food has gone up by some 22 percent. Thus, everyone is paying attention to how much they spend to put dinner on the table for their families.

Alabama leaders made an effort two years ago to help consumers' wallets and pocketbooks by reducing the grocery tax by 1 percent on September 1, 2023. A second 1 percent was to be reduced this September if the state education trust fund grew by 3.5 percent, but because it did, it will be another year.

With Alabama’s sales tax at 3 percent, there is hope that eventually it will be totally removed as most states do not tax groceries. Alabama is one of only 11 states that impose a tax on food. Some states offer a grocery tax credit. There are several states working to completely reduce the grocery tax.

As the price of food increases, Alabama state representatives and senators should look again on how to further make Alabama’s grocery tax a thing of the past.

We are still two years from the 2026 statewide elections in Alabama. All of Alabama's Constitutional officers and every member of the Alabama Legislature will be up for re-election. For the state’s top officers, Governor Kay Ivey, Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth and Attorney General Steve Marshal, they are all term limited. And with the 105 members of the Alabama House of Representatives and 35 Senators there are no term limits, but we will see some retire while the rest are up for re-election.

All of these leaders, whether they are returning to the Capitol or Statehouse have a lot of work to do for the betterment of the state. Public Safety should be the number one priority for state leaders, but removal of the grocery tax should come along next as an important task state leaders should achieve for the citizens of Alabama.

Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found on X, formerly Twitter, at @Paul_DeMarco.

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