By Dorothy Moon, IDGOP Chairwoman
August 7, 2025
Did you know that Idaho is one of only a handful of states that still charges full sales tax on groceries? Most states either exempt food from sales tax entirely or tax it at a lower rate than other goods.
According to a recent poll by the Mountain States Policy Center, nearly 90% of Idahoans want the grocery sales tax repealed. Yet the Legislature has failed to act. Back in 2017, when I represented District 8, we passed a full repeal, but Governor Butch Otter vetoed the bill after the session adjourned. That meant we never had a chance to override his veto, even though we had the votes.
Repealing the grocery tax is a common sense idea. Everyone needs food—rich, poor, or middle class—and it just seems wrong to tax something so essential to human life. We’re still feeling the effects of four years of Bidenflation, and working families could sure use a break at the checkout line.
If the Legislature won’t act, it’s time for the people of Idaho to get it done. Howard Rynearson, chairman of the Payette County Republicans, has drafted a citizen initiative to put grocery tax repeal on the ballot in November 2026. The petition needs more than 70,000 valid signatures to qualify. Will yours be one of them?
