TOPEKA (KSNT) - In just a few days, Kansans will see the state sales tax on some grocery items go to zero.
It's part of the Governor Laura Kelly's "Axe the Food Tax" legislation she signed back in 2022. Starting in 2023, the sales tax dropped from 6.5% to 4%. In 2024, the sales tax dropped from 4% to 2%. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, the sales tax will be reduced from 2% to 0%.
The Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) states that customers will no longer get taxed on "food and food ingredients for human consumption and certain prepared foods" on its website. This includes foods like eggs, breads and fruits. Non-food items sold at grocery stores will still be sold with a 6.5% sales tax. These items include things like alcohol and silverware.
Some food items, classified as 'prepared food' by the KDOR, will still have the 6.5% sales tax applied. Food items kept in a heated state or heated up prior to being sold, like a rotisserie chicken, would have the tax applied at the checkout. Baked goods sold as a single item are not counted as being a prepared food under state law.
This doesn't mean there is no sales tax at all: Kansans will still see two lines on grocery bills. The city and county sales tax still applies, according to the KDOR. In Topeka, the city sales tax is 1.5% and the sales tax for Shawnee County is 1.35%.
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