Representative McIff, raising the sales tax on food is a bad idea

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The Salt Lake Tribune has an Op-ed by Representative Kay McIff, Republican representing portions of Sanpete, Sevier and Emery Counties endorsing restoring the sales tax on food to the 6.25% rate applied to all other products.  Currently food is taxed at 3% as a result of tentative steps taken by the legislature to eliminate this regressive tax altogether.

The reasoning behind reducing or eliminating this tax is simple.  Food is a necessity.  Whether rich or poor everyone must eat and imposing a tax on a necessity hits the poor much harder than it does the rich.  This is true even in the best of times.  Arguing for adding 3% to everyone's food bill during an economic crisis makes even less sense.

Given the Legislature's seeming reluctance to dip into the rainy day fund even a little bit, it is difficult to understand why Representative McIff would argue things have gotten so bad we need to take the step of raising the sales tax on a necessity.  Had the legislature exhausted every penny they could of the coming recovery package funds and the rainy day fund, the case for a temporary increase in this tax to preserve needed services might be made.  Until then, don't increase the cost of food for struggling working families.