LETTERS: REDUCE SALES TAX ON FOOD

To the editor:

Do the Democrats in Jefferson City have a death wish?

We're faced with a peculiar situation in Missouri this year. State Democrats are being pressed hard by Republicans who want to overturn the Democrats' majority hold on the Legislature. That majority is no longer a sure thing.

Along comes our Democratic governor who tells state legislators they need to reduce state revenue by $150 million and recommends a 1/4-cent reduction in the state sales tax to do this. In the meantime, Republican legislators filed bills to eliminate the sales tax on food and announced this as a Republican caucus priority issue.

Bills filed by the Democratic chairmen of both the House and the Senate Ways and Means committees followed the governor's recommendation to cut 1/4 cent from the sales tax. In the House committee, members acted responsibly to target the food tax as the best way to go for the revenue reduction. The committee substitute bill would trim 1 3/4 cent from the onerous sales tax on food. But what's happening now? The bill is stagnating in the House -- waiting for debate and action.

And over in the Senate committee, the need to cut the sales tax on food was totally disregarded. Instead, a mishmash of income-tax credits and deductions and a very small overall sales-tax reduction (1/8 cent) were rolled into a committee substitute bill.

Democrats are the majority in the House, the Senate and both committees. Eliminating or reducing the sales tax on food is consistent with the Democratic Party's avowed aims and is in the interest of the party's natural constituency. Why are Missouri Democrats giving this issue to the Republicans?

Americans for Democratic Action believes we need a strong, bipartisan effort for real tax fairness for all Missourians. Let it begin with reducing the sales tax on food now.

J.L. PIERSON, President

Missouri Chapter

Americans for Democratic Action

St. Louis