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Food Costs Rising, Wages Stagnant, Grocery Tax Must Go
April 15, 2008
According to this Associated Press article, food costs are rising the fastest they've risen in 17 years.
"The U.S. is wrestling with the worst food inflation in 17 years, and analysts expect new data due on Wednesday to show it's getting worse...U.S. food prices rose 4 percent in 2007, compared with an average 2.5 percent annual rise for the last 15 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the agency says 2008 could be worse, with a rise of as much as 4.5 percent."
In addition, according to this AP article, income for wealthy Alabamians has shot up consistently.
"The study ["Pulling Apart: A State-by-State Analysis of Income Trends," by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonprofit based in Washington] shows that the wealthiest 20 percent of families in Alabama have seen their income increase by 42.7 percent over the last two decades, while the poorest 20 percent have seen an increase of only 5.6 percent. That gives the richest 20 percent of families average incomes that are 8.5 times as big as those of the poorest 20 percent in Alabama.
Since the late 1990s, the picture has been even more bleak for Alabama's poorest families, who have watched their income drop 17.4 percent, while the top 20 percent saw an increase of 9.6 percent."
The Alabama Democratic Party Chair has called out Governor Riley and Republican Leaders on the food tax, and said that anyone opposing the bill, which would drop the sales taxes on groceries, is not serious about real tax cuts or assisting the working class in Alabama.
"Governor Riley and his republican legislative leadership want to cut taxes for the wealthiest of Alabama and leave working families who live week to week at the back of the grocery store checkout line without help. This initiative by Rep. Knight has been worked and perfected over the years and now is the time to get this measure passed. Every Alabama consumer will immediately see increased purchasing power for the most basic necessity - food."
At a time of rising food costs, stagnant wages, and a worsening of income inequality in Alabama, the time to pass this bill is now. If this isn't a moral issue, I don't know what is. So far, only a minority of republicans have been willing to do the right thing. Will the rest of the ALGOP back the rich, or the least of these?
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Comments
Posted by: bwalden 
on April 15, 2008 4:18 PM
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