In an age of polarization, there’s one thing that can unite liberals and conservatives.
And that’s getting rid of Alabama’s tax on groceries.
The left-leaning Alabama Arise and the right-leaning Alabama Policy Institute (API) will both lobby legislators in the upcoming session to reduce or repeal the tax, which, with local sales taxes included, can add up to 10% to the cost of groceries in the state.
But if their goals are the same, their reasons differ. API sees the grocery tax effort as part of a broader attempt to reduce taxes for Alabamians.
“It had about a $1.5 billion surplus last year, so the state is taking in more taxes than it ever has before, and we really think, at least some portion of that, a large portion of that needs to be returned to taxpayers,” said Justin Bogie, senior director of fiscal policy for the Alabama Policy Institute.