To the editor:

The proposed sales tax increase, while modest, is nevertheless regressive. Because Kansas has been in the minority of states that still tax food items, the extra burden will, as usual, fall on those, the working poor, whose income barely exceeds eligibility guidelines for food stamps.

A majority of states have long recognized that taxing food is unconscionable and not cost-effective. The usual reasons given by our legislators for not exempting food are that it is too complicated to implement; yet other states have dealt with the problem successfully. Another reason is that the state could not afford the loss of revenue generated by sales of food. Maybe this is a concept too difficult for our city and state officials to grasp, but it would seem that if people have to cut down on food purchases, revenue will decrease.

It is time for our state and municipalities to reverse this inequity and show themselves to be as progressive as they claim to be.

Eva Edmands,

Lawrence