Kansas’ high grocery sales tax is an extra burden on those who are already hurting
At YWCA Northeast Kansas, we are seeing a historic increase in the number of vulnerable individuals who are accessing our services at our Center for Safety and Empowerment, where we serve victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking and human trafficking. They need and want mental health services, affordable housing and affordable and accessible child care. Our food pantry serves our clients to help them fill the gaps when they are struggling to make ends meet. Families want to be empowered to provide the most basic need: providing food for their families. That is why we are pushing to “Axe the Food Tax” in Kansas.
COVID-19 has put extreme pressure on the nonprofits in our state. We continue to do what is expected by our community for those that have been hit hardest by the realities of the pandemic. It is a matter of survival for many.
Most victims leaving our emergency shelter are faced with a multitude of obstacles. They have not had success in finding safe and affordable housing, and they struggle financially to purchase basic food items needed to survive. Poverty affects 25% of African American households and 25% of Hispanic households in Topeka. In white households, it is 15%.
It’s time that our Kansas lawmakers step up help us to restore the dignity of those we serve and help make their lives easier by eliminating Kansas’ state sales tax on food. The world around us has presented enough challenges over the past two years, and getting rid of this expense would provide much-needed financial relief for our most disadvantaged population.
According to Gov. Laura Kelly, eliminating this financial burden would save a family of four people more than $500 a year. For some of our survivors, that amount of money could make a huge impact on their lives.
Providing safe and affordable care, specifically for our mothers and children, is critical. We believe all families, regardless of income, should have access to basic resources to empower them and to feel safe during that process. That includes the critical need for food.
We have been answering the greater Topeka community’s call for safety, support, healing and empowerment for 135 years. It is time that our state legislators do the same. It’s time to deliver a clean bill and Axe the Food Tax.