Current:Home > StocksSouth Dakota food tax debate briefly resurfaces, then sinks-InfoLens
South Dakota food tax debate briefly resurfaces, then sinks
View Date:2024-12-23 14:44:44
Arguments over eliminating South Dakota’s food tax resumed this month — a top issue in recent years that quickly ended Monday with the Senate’s defeat of a ballot proposal for voters.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Reynold Nesiba proposed a November 2024 ballot measure for voters to lower the food tax to zero and to repeal a four-year sales tax cut passed last year. The temporary tax cut was a major issue of the 2023 session.
In an interview, Nesiba called his proposal “revenue-neutral” and eliminating the food tax “highly popular.” His measure would allow the Legislature more control over the process than a separate, proposed 2024 ballot initiative to repeal the grocery tax, he said. Voters are likely to pass that initiated measure, he said.
Some lawmakers grumbled about the initiative process in a hearing on Friday.
“Voters are smart, but they’re not here studying these issues and knowing where all our sales tax dollars go and what needs to be funded and all those other inputs. That’s why they send us here,” Republican Sen. Joshua Klumb said.
Republican Sen. John Wiik cited last session’s food tax battle, saying, “I have no desire to spend another session trying to push a rope up a hill.
“This Legislature passed record tax relief last year, and I have no desire to roll that tax rate back up,” Wiik told the Senate.
Senate debate quickly ended. The measure died in a 5-27 vote.
In 2022, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem campaigned for reelection on a promise to repeal the grocery tax, but the Legislature instead passed the temporary sales tax cut of about $104 million per year. In her December budget address, Noem asked lawmakers to make the tax cut permanent.
The GOP-held House of Representatives quickly passed a bill last month to that effect, but Senate budget writers soon tabled it.
On Thursday, Republican House Majority Leader Will Mortenson told reporters “we’re going to continue to work with our partners in the Senate and see if we can find a way forward on it.”
Nothing is dead until the session ends, he added.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Vermont man is fit to stand trial over shooting of 3 Palestinian college students
- Shipping’s Heavy Fuel Oil Puts the Arctic at Risk. Could It Be Banned?
- Does poor air quality affect dogs? How to protect your pets from wildfire smoke
- The Mystery of the Global Methane Rise: Asian Agriculture or U.S. Fracking?
- New York eyes reviving congestion pricing toll before Trump takes office
- Here Are All of the Shows That Have Been Impacted By the WGA Strike 2023
- Nick Cannon Calls Out Deadbeat Dad Claims as He Shares How Much Money He Makes in a Year
- Annie Murphy Shares the Must-Haves She Can’t Live Without, Including an $8 Must-Have
- Jason Kelce Jokes He Got “Mixed Reviews” From Kylie Kelce Over NSFW Commentary
- Solar Thermal Gears Up for a Comeback
Ranking
- World War II veteran reflects on life as he turns 100
- Today’s Climate: July 14, 2010
- Today’s Climate: July 30, 2010
- Prince Harry's Spare Ghostwriter Recalls Shouting at Him Amid Difficult Edits
- 2025 NFL Draft order: Updated first round picks after Week 10 games
- Project Runway Assembles the Most Iconic Cast for All-Star 20th Season
- Second woman says Ga. Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker paid for abortion
- Amazon Fires Spark Growing International Criticism of Brazil
Recommendation
-
‘Maybe Happy Ending’ review: Darren Criss shines in one of the best musicals in years
-
How Big Oil Blocked the Nation’s Greenest Governor on Climate Change
-
Henry Winkler Shares He Had Debilitating Emotional Pain After the End of Happy Days
-
PGA's deal with LIV Golf plan sparks backlash from 9/11 families and Human Rights Watch
-
Jason Kelce collaborates with Stevie Nicks for Christmas duet: Hear the song
-
In California, Climate Change Is an ‘Immediate and Escalating’ Threat
-
WWE Wrestling Champ Sara Lee's Cause of Death Revealed
-
Why Vanessa Hudgens Is Thinking About Eloping With Fiancé Cole Tucker