PIERRE, S.D. – A coalition of South Dakota groups is voicing its opposition to a ballot measure that would repeal a state sales tax on consumables.
If passed this November, Initiated Measure 28 would repeal the state’s 4-point-2 percent sales tax on “anything sold for human consumption,” including food and other products – from toothpaste to tobacco, C-B-D and vaping products.
Sandra Waltman, director of public affairs for the South Dakota Education Association, said the teachers union opposes the repeal because it does not include a plan to replace the money the current tax contributes to education.
Currently, Waltman says about 60-percent of public school funding comes from state coffers, and the other 40-percent from local property taxes. She calls the potential impacts on education “drastic,” saying they could lead to fewer teachers, larger class sizes and cuts to newer resources like mental health support and programs for career and technical education.
Proponents of the measure say repealing the tax could help the nearly 9-percent of South Dakotans who are food insecure. But Waltman says those same people would likely feel the effects of underfunded school systems.
Other groups opposing the measure include the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, South Dakotans Against a State Income Tax, and the South Dakota Farm Bureau.
