Governor Laura Kelly Signs Axe the Food Tax Bill

Governor Laura Kelly on Wednesday signed bipartisan legislation, House Bill 2106, that will axe the food tax and eliminate the state sales tax on groceries.

Cutting the food tax will provide Kansans with much-needed fiscal relief, especially as costs continue to rise. House Bill 2106 will completely eliminate the food sales tax by 2025.

"When Kansans needed it most, we were able to bring Democrats and Republicans together to eliminate our state's tax on groceries," Governor Laura Kelly said. "Because we saved for our collective future, we can now responsibly axe the food tax – all while boosting funding to Kansas schools, roads and law enforcement."

Passing HB 2106 will help Kansans save money, keep Kansas dollars in Kansas and make the state more competitive with its neighbors.

Currently, Kansans pay more for groceries than people in almost every other state due to the 6.5 percent state sales tax on groceries. Governor Kelly has called on the Kansas Legislature to fully implement the elimination of the state sales tax on July 1 of this year, so that the benefits of the state's strong economic growth under Governor Kelly can be passed on to the people of Kansas immediately.

Kansas uses the same definitions for groceries as 23 other states. Since many of the stores in Kansas have checkout systems used by vendors in other states with lower state sales taxes on groceries, immediate relief is possible.

(Information and photo courtesy Office of the Governor.)