Food will be subject to Wichita’s proposed sales tax. What about SNAP, WIC purchases?
Wichita residents will vote in March on whether to implement a 1%, citywide sales tax on all retail purchases — but are there any exemptions?
The Wichita City Council voted unanimously to put the item on a special election ballot during its Dec. 16 meeting. The proposal, put together by Wichita Forward, would bring in an estimated $850 million in revenue over the next seven years.
In addition to typical retail sales, like technology and clothing purchases, the tax would apply to food and groceries.
While some states and cities choose to exclude food purchases from sales tax, Wichita cannot due to a state law that requires all local sales tax to be uniform. In order for food to be excluded from the city’s proposed sales tax, the Kansas legislature would have to take action this session.
But what about food and grocery purchased by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits or Women, Infants and Children, also known as WIC, program vouchers?
Those using SNAP benefits, commonly called food stamps, and WIC vouchers would be exempt from the 1% sales tax, the Kansas Department of Revenue confirmed to The Eagle.
With a population of more than 530,000 people, Sedgwick County has more than 20,000 households that receive SNAP benefits, data from the Kansas Department for Children and Families shows. That’s 47,980 individuals, more than 22,000 of them children.
Kansas Statute 79-3606 exempts SNAP benefits and WIC vouchers from being subject to any state or local sales tax, KDOR said.
The state eliminated its 6.5% tax on groceries in 2025, while Sedgwick County’s 1% sales tax still remains in place. This means if voters approve the sales tax in March, all grocery purchases in Wichita would be subject to a 2% tax with the exception of products purchased using those two public assistance programs.
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
