Sioux Falls mayor warns income tax could follow food tax repeal

Dakotans for Health dismisses assertion made during Paul TenHaken's State of the City address

Correction: According to the Attorney General’s Office, municipal sales taxes collected on food are not subject to the proposed ballot measure. An earlier version of this article cited an invalid Attorney General’s explanation found on the Secretary of State’s website.

It’s safe to say the mayor of South Dakota’s largest city won’t be voting to repeal the state’s tax on food this fall.

Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken on Thursday took a pause from highlighting hundreds of millions City Hall is spending on pools, roads, water, and sewer during his 2024 State of the City address to voice opposition to a proposed ballot measure that would eliminate sales tax on groceries.

“If this ballot measure is approved in the upcoming fall election, our community would see a substantial reduction in sales tax revenue,” the second-term mayor said during his sixth annual spring speech held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. “That would profoundly impact the services we can deliver to the public.”

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