Kansas City, Missouri — Kansas’ new food tax is causing chaos. The lower 4% rate went into effect on Sunday, but some shoppers saw both the old 6.5% rate and the new rate on their grocery receipts.
“God. This is crazy,” said Diane Bully of Baldwin City. She went grocery shopping at Walmart in Lawrence on Sunday. The item cost her $12.98, but when she got the receipt the final total was $15.07 for her.
“And I say, ‘That’s not right.’ So I looked at the ticket and it said 2 sales taxes. ”
The first line states a tax of 9.3% and the second line states a tax of 6.8%. She went to customer service and got back 9.3%. But they didn’t give her any other taxes because it was the right one.
That’s because it includes a 4% food tax, Lawrence City’s 1.55% tax, and Douglas County’s 1.25% tax.
Still, she’s not the only one charged with two different tax rates on the first day the law went into effect.
Walmart issued the following statement on Wednesday:
“On January 1, after Kansas went into effect with the reduced state sales tax rate on food, some customers were incorrectly charged the old, higher tax rate along with the new tax rate. This issue has been resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Customers seeking a refund or with questions should bring their receipt to their local Walmart store to speak with management. ”
FOX4 has heard reports from others who spent money at Dillon’s and Casey’s that they were charged the old 6.5% rate instead of 4%.
Please note that if you purchase non-food items such as cleaning products or clothing with food items, you will see two different rates.
Washburn University economist Paul Byrne compares steaks to skillets.
“Frying pans are subject to the same 6.5% state sales tax.
In that case, you’ll see two separate lines on your receipt. The first row shows the higher tax rate for non-food items and the second row is the food tax rate.
“They may think they’re being double taxed when in fact it’s just part of the bill,” Byrne said.
“They may think they’re being double taxed when in fact it’s just part of the bill,” Byrne added.
But if you only buy food, like Bulleigh, you should see one tax line instead of two.
“You have to get everyone’s attention,” she said.
If you have a problem on Sunday, please bring your receipt to the place where you purchased the item to discuss a refund.
