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Should Alabama ditch the grocery tax?
Influential Birmingham leaders want to ditch the grocery tax
Influential Birmingham leaders believe it’s time for the Alabama Legislature to end the state’s sales tax on groceries, but they have little faith that lawmakers will actually take that step.
That’s the takeaway from the latest Power Poll Birmingham, a monthly unscientific poll of local leaders.
More than 85% of respondents said the state should end the sales tax on groceries.
Alabama is one of only three states that collect sales taxes on groceries, according to AL.com.
Critics argue the tax on groceries has a disproportionate effect on low-income individuals and families.
While there are proposals in this year’s regular session of the Alabama Legislature to end the tax on groceries, only 25% of respondents believe lawmakers will actually vote to take that step.
That’s not the only tax change respondents would like to see in Alabama though.
More than 90% of respondents said they would be in favor of broader tax reform in Alabama — an effort that could face even more resistance than the effort to end the sales tax on groceries.
About Power Poll: Power Poll asks questions of the most powerful, influential people in U.S. cities. It is not a scientific survey. But because the people responding to the surveys comprise the leadership structure of their cities, the results afford a fascinating glimpse into the thoughts, opinions, and beliefs of those in a position to make change. Power Poll is distinctly nonpartisan.
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