Arkansas Mulls Lower Taxes on Groceries, Sales

An Arkansas state Senate committee OK’d three bills to lower taxes this week, the Time Record of Fort Smith reported Wednesday.

Ark. Gov. Mike Beebe

The proposals that cleared the committee included one to lower the state sales tax on groceries backed by Gov. Mike Beebe. The Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee also endorsed bills that would double the state used-vehicle tax exemption and phase in a half-cent reduction in the sales tax manufacturers pay on natural gas and electricity. The bills are expected to be on the Senate agenda today.

"All of them impact the budget, all of them adversely impact the budget, so we'll make those adjustments accordingly," Beebe told the newspaper after the Monday committee meeting. "As long as they know what they are doing and they're prepared to adjust the budget, then so am I."