LOGAN – The Utah Tax Reform Task Force has been meeting this week to discuss some draft proposals as the process moves along to update Utah’s tax code. The organization Utahns Against Hunger has been very vocal throughout the discussions, and even more so after the draft proposal was put forth last week that included a reinstatement of a sales tax on food.
On KVNU’s For the People program on Wednesday, Alex Cragun said his organization has been watching everything closely.
“We found that individuals that are purchasing groceries, particularly that are low income, a sales tax on food hurts them substantially. Low and middle income households could see an increase of a $172 to up to $252 in additional tax burden based on the sales tax on food,” explained Cragun.
He said a study conducted in 2016 by Auburn University showed a connection of a sales tax on food to food insecurity. Meaning that a family does not have access to nutritional meals or family members having to forgo meals to make sure their children can eat.
You can find more information on the statewide organization at UAH.org. Also, you can sign their petition that they are circulating urging Utahns to speak out against the idea of increasing the sales tax on non-prepared food.
AUDIO: Alex Cragun talks to KVNU’s For the People host Jason Williams