There is a time for everything…

This is the season for Grocery Tax repeal.

Everyone is familiar with the Old Testament Bible verse in Ecclesiastes 3, or at least they've heard the song 'Turn Turn Turn' by The Byrds. “To everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:

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With that opening statement, you can probably guess where I'm going with this email and Substack post. It’s time we repeal the grocery tax. Why is this such a difficult tax for your Idaho legislators to remove? In this time of inflation, the only beneficiary of the grocery tax is your state government. If we were to repeal it, you—the citizen—would be able to buy more groceries, and your local grocery stores would benefit as well, thanks to increased sales.

You hear all the excuses for why the grocery tax shouldn’t be repealed.

Some say it’s not a significant amount of relief. But we must always seek ways to alleviate burdens on our constituents, regardless of the size. And because this is a small amount, our state government won’t suffer when it’s gone.

Some argue that the grocery tax ensures that illegal immigrants pay their share of taxes. But should we force our citizens to pay extra taxes just to ensure that illegals contribute? If we want illegal immigrants to pay their fair share, let’s focus on securing our borders and helping them come here legally, assimilate as Americans, and become citizens so they can contribute equally to the burdens we all share to maintain our Republic.

Another argument is that we need tourists to help pay their share while visiting our state. But again, we’re punishing Idaho citizens just to collect a few crumbs from travelers. In reality, more tourist dollars would flow into Idaho businesses, helping our local economy thrive. When our businesses thrive, so does our state.

Some claim we benefit more from the grocery tax credit than we would from grocery tax relief. But who says we have to eliminate the grocery tax credit? Why can’t we provide our people with both?"

It is time to give Idahoans the relief they deserve and make them our top priority.

It is time to expose waste, misappropriation, and lost funds.

It is time to say NO to adding another agency, program, or government worker.

It is time to break free from dependency on federal dollars that cause us to lose local control.

It is time to put IDAHO FIRST!

To those legislators who say it’s not the right seasonto repeal the grocery tax, I challenge you to ask them to provide a valid reason why not. In 2017, it passed both chambers, only to be vetoed by Governor Otter. Well, he is gone, and Governor Little has said he would sign it. This is a non-partisan issue—both Democrats and Republicans want to give their constituents relief. 2025 is the season to get this done.

I will work diligently to secure relief for Idahoans, starting with the repeal of the grocery tax. Let this be the season for repeal.