WSMV Channel 4 Lawmakers want bigger cut to TN food tax

In his State of the State address, Gov. Bill Haslam said he plans to reduce the food tax from 5.5 percent to 5.3 percent, but some lawmakers want it even lower.

"Many of you have long expressed a desire to decrease the tax on groceries. This budget proposes to do just that," Haslam said Monday.

His plan takes the food tax from 5.5 percent to 5.3 percent next year. That means on $10 of groceries, shoppers would pay two cents less.

No one is objecting to cutting the food tax, but some lawmakers want to cut more, faster.

"Food is just one of those things. It's a common denominator, let's get rid of it. Everybody eats," said Rep. Glen Casada, R-College Grove.

Casada's plan would take the tax down to 5 percent, so shoppers would save a nickel on the same $10 of groceries.

But that extra three cents on $10 of food is an extra $42 million in tax revenue.

So, Casada is asking lawmakers of all parties to help him find that money somewhere.

"I applaud what the governor's doing. It's the right direction, and if I can't find $42 million, we'll all get behind the governor," Casada said.

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