Op-Ed: It's Time to End the Grocery Tax

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According to a recent poll by the Mountain States Policy Center, nearly 90% of Idahoans want the grocery sales tax repealed.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?

I know what you might be thinking: “Aren’t ballot initiatives tools of the left?” Sometimes, yes. But there’s an important difference here. This initiative is bottom-up and driven entirely by the grassroots. We’re not likely to see millions of dollars from out-of-state special interests like we will with other petitions to legalize abortion or marijuana. If grocery tax repeal happens, it’ll be because we the people of Idaho made it happen.

So what can you do to help?

You can sign the petition at the Idaho GOP office in Boise: 1619 W Jefferson St, Boise, ID 83702. Enter on the west side of the building, along 17th Street. Drop us a line first at (208) 343-6405 and let us know you’re coming. Bring your friends!

Local Republican volunteers will also have petitions available at your county fairs, along with signs and palm cards to share with friends and neighbors.

Want to go a step further? Visit repealidahogrocerytax.org and click the “Volunteer” link in the top-left corner. There, you can download your own petition sheets and read the full text of the proposed initiative.

This effort won’t have $5 million in outside funding like ranked choice voting did. There won’t be nonstop ads on radio or social media. There won’t be paid signature gatherers knocking on your door.

If this is going to happen, it will be because the grassroots mobilized and got it done. The choice is yours.