Illinois temporarily suspended its grocery tax during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker is calling for that tax to be permanently repealed.
The announcement was made during Pritzker’s budget address in Springfield on Wednesday, with the governor calling it a boost for families still hit hard by increasing prices. Pritzker blasted the 1% tax as a “regressive tax” that the state doesn’t need.
“If it reduces inflation for families from 4% to 3%, even if it only puts a few hundred bucks back in families’ pockets, it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
According to Zamp, at least 15 states, including Illinois, currently have some sort of sales tax on groceries. Some of these states don’t have statewide taxes, but do allow local governments to assess sales taxes on grocery items. That is the case in Illinois, according to the website.
The 1% tax on groceries applies specifically to items that are meant to “be consumed off the premises where they are sold,” according to state law.
The sales tax was suspended as part of Pritzker’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget, with officials projecting that it could save shoppers up to $400 million.
The measure would have to go before lawmakers, and it is unclear if state officials would prohibit home rule governments from implementing their own sales taxes on grocery items.
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Pritzker laid out numerous other proposals in the speech, including an expanded child tax credit, purchasing medical debt and forgiving it for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans, and other new programs.
According to Pritzker, the proposed budget is balanced for the fifth consecutive year, with the governor praising the state’s credit upgrades and increased savings under his watch.
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