Metro East Sun

State Senator Jason Plummer raised concerns about the 1% grocery tax cut in a Facebook post on December 6. He said, "Governor JB Pritzker is as fake as a $3 bill, does anyone think this guy has pushed a cart down a grocery store aisle lately?"

"Remember the 1% grocery tax cut," said Plummer, according to Facebook. "They lie to you. And their sock puppets knowingly repeat the lies. Governor JB Pritzker is as fake as a $3 bill, does anyone think this guy has pushed a cart down a grocery store aisle lately?"

According to Plummer's Facebook post, he shared a link to an article by Wirepoints. The article highlighted that although Governor J.B. Pritzker announced the end of the statewide grocery tax, it was not being eliminated but rather shifted. This shift is due to several municipalities, including Danville, Palatine, Highland, Normal, Pekin, and Martinsville, implementing their own 1% local grocery tax.

Wirepoints reported that the revenues from the grocery tax cut by Pritzker belong to local cities and counties across the state. Consequently, local governments are faced with filling unexpected budgetary gaps. The publication suggested that instead of focusing on the 1% grocery tax, Pritzker should consider undoing the gas tax increase from 2019 and lowering property taxes.

In August, according to CBS News, Pritzker signed legislation to eliminate the grocery tax starting in 2026—a proposal he had included in the 2025 budget. Illinois is one of only 13 states that impose taxes on groceries. CBS spoke with Debby Sosine, president of Algonquin Village, regarding what ending the statewide grocery tax would mean for her community. Sosine expressed concern over how they would address a "$2 million deficit in our budget."

The possibility of city leaders enacting their own grocery taxes is not unprecedented. In May, Illinois Policy reported that local governments have the authority to implement their own 1% grocery tax without requiring citizen approval through a vote. The report also noted that other states such as Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Virginia have state grocery taxes ranging from 1.5% to 6.5%.

Illinois Policy further noted that Illinois residents saved an estimated $360 million during the one-year suspension of the state grocery tax in fiscal year 2022 and mentioned that 70% of voters support eliminating this specific tax.

Senator Plummer has represented Southern Illinois as State Senator for the 54th Senate District since his election in 2018. He positions himself as a strong and independent conservative voice for constituents he believes have been overlooked by politicians in Springfield.