So I was looking into whether there's tax on groceries in different states and honestly it's wild how much it varies. Like, some places just eliminated it completely in the last couple years - Oklahoma did it in 2024, Kansas followed in 2025, and now Arkansas is getting rid of theirs too starting next year. But then you've got states that are still hitting you with crazy grocery taxes.

Idaho's probably the worst - they charge the full 6% sales tax on groceries, which is brutal. Mississippi had it even worse at 7% until recently when they finally dropped it to 5%. Tennessee's somewhere around 4% now but depending on your county it can go way higher. Hawaii's sneaky too - no direct sales tax but they've got a 4% general excise tax that applies to groceries, sometimes more.

The interesting part is some states found workarounds instead of eliminating it completely. Like Idaho gives you a tax credit so you can basically get $2,000 worth of groceries tax-free per person. Missouri only taxes groceries at 1.225% if you're using SNAP benefits. Alabama just lowered theirs from 3% to 2% recently.

I'm kind of surprised how many states still have grocery taxes honestly. The trend seems to be moving away from it but there's definitely still a bunch of places where you're paying extra at checkout just for food. Makes you wonder if more states will follow the trend and drop these taxes entirely.