Food Tax Bill Opponents
Air Date:01/27/2011
By Jenifer Jones
After more than an hour of testimony, the state House Taxation Committee decided not to move forward with a bill that does away with the state's four percent sales and use tax on food. To make up the funding, the bill also raises the sales tax on other goods and services. Proponents say people are struggling to make ends meet, and this bill would allow them to purchase more food for their families. But opponents like Representative Nick Moser say there are already programs to help South Dakotans put food on their tables. He says the bill could raise the cost of other needed items.
"Try organizing a group of people and do a utility drive, try organizing a group of people and do a rent drive some time, and see how successful it is," Moser says. "To think that we're just going to solve the problems of hunger by eliminating the tax on food while increasing the tax on everything else, and that's not going to come back and have a negative consequence on these families, it's ridiculous. And in my experience every day, I think this type of bill will have a net negative impact on the exact people it proposes to help."
The committee voted 11 to four to send the bill to the 41st legislative day, effectively killing the measure.
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