Grocery Tax Repeal Has a Long History — Alabama Needs a Clear Plan for What Comes Next
Guest opinion by Keith O. Williams, Independent candidate for Alabama State House District 55
Guest opinion by Keith O. Williams
Recent headlines have focused heavily on Alabama’s remaining state grocery tax because candidates for statewide office are now discussing eliminating it. I welcome the attention, but I also share Representative Penni McClammy’s concern that this issue should not become simply another election-season talking point. The effort to eliminate Alabama’s grocery tax did not begin in 2026. Advocates, community organizations and legislators have worked on this issue for decades, often when it received far less media attention than it does today.
https://alarise.org/news-releases/grocery-tax-reduction-bills-passage-is-a-win-for-every-alabamian/
Alabama Arise is one organization that has consistently kept this issue before lawmakers and the public. Its members advocated for grocery-tax relief for decades before the Legislature unanimously approved the first reduction in 2023. The tax fell from 4% to 3% that year and from 3% to 2% in 2025. During the 2026 session, Representative McClammy sponsored HB336 to eliminate the remaining state tax entirely, and Alabama Arise made that legislation a centerpiece of its Legislative Day advocacy.
I have participated in that work as an advocate and as an individual member of Alabama Arise. I have attended Legislative Days, participated alongside organizations working on affordability and tax policy, and spoken with legislators who have worked on grocery-tax relief over the years. That experience is one reason I do not view the current discussion as a new political idea. There is a long paper trail involving advocates, citizens and lawmakers from different political backgrounds.
The remaining question is not simply whether Alabama should eliminate the final 2%. It is how Alabama does it responsibly. The Legislative Services Agency estimates that eliminating the remaining state grocery tax would reduce Education Trust Fund revenue by roughly $270 million annually. Rep. Danny Garrett has said he believes revenue growth and budget decisions can allow the state to absorb that loss without creating a replacement tax. Alabama Arise has proposed another approach: reducing or eliminating Alabama’s state income-tax deduction for federal income taxes and using that revenue to protect education funding.
https://alarise.org/news-releases/alabama-arise-unveils-2025-roadmap-for-change-in-alabama/
That is where transparency becomes important. Many Alabamians understandably worry that eliminating one tax could simply result in another tax being increased somewhere else. There is currently no evidence that eliminating the grocery tax automatically requires higher property taxes or a higher general sales tax. Those would be separate policy decisions. But the concern should not simply be dismissed. Before the remaining grocery tax is eliminated, lawmakers should clearly explain how the lost education revenue will be handled and whether any other taxpayers would ultimately be asked to make up the difference.
I support eliminating Alabama’s remaining state grocery tax. I also believe it should be done strategically. Tax relief should actually leave families with more money in their pockets—not remove two cents from the grocery bill while quietly adding costs somewhere else. Any proposal should identify its fiscal impact, protect essential public services, explain how the Education Trust Fund will be affected and disclose whether another tax, fee or spending reduction is being considered.
It is also important to remember that eliminating the state grocery tax would not automatically eliminate every grocery tax in Alabama. Local sales taxes on groceries remain in many communities. That distinction should be part of the public conversation so people understand what a state repeal would—and would not—change.
The renewed bipartisan interest is significant, but the history should not disappear simply because the issue has become prominent in a gubernatorial campaign. Democratic lawmakers advocated for repeal for many years. Republican lawmakers later became important participants, and Republican-sponsored bills ultimately produced the reductions enacted in 2023 and 2025 with overwhelming bipartisan support. Advocates outside the Legislature helped keep the issue alive throughout that entire period.
https://alabamareflector.com/2023/06/15/gov-kay-ivey-signs-grocery-tax-cut-into-law/
The next step should be more than asking who deserves political credit. Alabama should be asking: What is the plan? What happens to education funding? Will another tax burden increase? What alternatives have been considered? And how will families know whether they actually received meaningful relief?
Those are the questions that should accompany any serious effort to finally eliminate Alabama’s grocery tax.
Keith O. Williams is an independent candidate for Alabama State House of Representatives District 55. He is a nonprofit leader, a community advocate, a certified counseling practitioner, and a peer support specialist.
To learn more about the campaign, please visit https://keithforalhd55.keithowilliams.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @kowilliamspc.
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