Poll: Should Virginia’s grocery tax be eliminated?

Putting aside some of the drama of his visit, Gov. Glenn Youngkin spoke in Alexandria last week about a topic that even some local Democrats have expressed support for: eliminating the grocery tax.

Virginia has a 2.5% grocery tax that helps to fund public schools and transportation. One percent of that goes to local governments, while the rest goes to the state. This has created a sort of three-faction divide on the tax that doesn’t break evenly along party lines.

Youngkin and House Republicans have called for the tax to be eliminated entirely. Another version, rejected by the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, would have maintained the 1% contribution to localities but eliminated the state portion of the funding. The legislation was rejected in part because some Northern Virginia senators expressed concerns that it could negatively impact some of the state’s wealthier school districts, ABC8 reported.

In a town hall last week, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said that the city has supported eliminating the grocery tax, but that there needs to be adequate replacement revenues to compensate.

We are always happy to welcome @GovernorVA to Alexandria.

Alexandria has long advocated for the elimination of the grocery tax.

The elimination must be funded by sustainable replacement revenues to ensure our local taxpayers don’t end up with the bill.https://t.co/fDU9zFUcKV

— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) February 4, 2022

Today, I sat down with Virginia parents to discuss my administration’s plan to combat rising inflation and its impact on families. I look forward to working together to address the rising costs of raising a family in the Commonwealth, starting with eliminating the grocery tax. pic.twitter.com/zpzzH5ROwK

— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) February 3, 2022

Photo via Eli Wilson Photography