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Brookings council hears competing views on "I am 28" grocery-tax ballot measure
Summary
Council members heard presentations from proponents and a coalition of business, municipal and civic groups about initiated measure "I am 28," which would bar the state from taxing "anything sold for human consumption." Supporters said it removes the state grocery tax; opponents warned of large state and municipal revenue losses and legal uncertainty.
Brookings City Council on an item labelled "I am 28" heard a panel of proponents and opponents explain what a November initiated measure would do and how it might affect the city.
Rick Weiland, sponsor of I am 28, told the council the measure "simply removes the state's sales tax on food," which he said is presently the state's 4.2 percentage-point share. He framed the tax as regressive and cited Feeding South Dakota's research that, he said, found roughly 106,000 residents experiencing food insecurity. Weiland emphasized the petition's fiscal note and the attorney general's ballot text as the official materials voters will see and told residents the initiative is focused on the state food tax, not broader categories opponents cite: "It's taking the state's tax off of food," he said.
Opponents, including Nathan Sanderson, executive director of the South…
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