RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Whether it’s eggs, milk, meat or bread — your family’s grocery staples may soon be just a little bit cheaper.
Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke has introduced a bill that would eliminate the 1% local sales tax on food purchases for home consumption, as well as certain hygiene products. This comes after state lawmakers agreed to eliminate the state sales tax on those same products in 2022.
Despite the potential savings, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax said this is not worth it, given that the tax goes towards funding public education in the Commonwealth.
“We put less money into K-12 than Kentucky and West Virginia do,” Surovell said. “So I think, if anything, this proposal is going to reduce the amount of money going to K-12.”
The measure would supplement localities’ lost tax revenue, should the cut go into effect. However, Surovell said that takes money out of the state’s general fund that could be used for other priorities.
“I think, in the short to medium term — I think our focus needs to be on ‘How do we get more money into our K-12 system?’ instead of trying to tinker around with the existing funding sources,” Surovell said. “Once we have got the K-12 system adequately funded, I think we are in a better position to talk about those sorts of issues.”
A similar proposal was introduced in 2023, but it eventually died in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
