4 city council members are 'yes' votes
The city of Phoenix's two-percent tax on food items at the grocery store could disappear two years early.
The tax was approved by the city council in 2010 as an emergency source of revenue in the wake of steeply falling tax revenues during the recession. It was designed to run for five years, expiring March 31, 2015.
An attempt by the council to repeal the tax last year failed. However, there was a city election last August in which some new council members were elected. Now, there are four council members in favor of repealing the tax two years early.
Councilman Sal DiCiccio says he expects Mayor Greg Stanton to be the fifth vote in favor of repealing the tax. He says Stanton's campaign last summer included a pledge to repeal the tax in 2013, although the mayor has been non-committal on the food tax since taking office.
DiCiccio says the city's revenue situation is now such that the $50 million the tax brings in annually can be made up from other revenues.
Most Valley cities have a food tax. The one in Phoenix is the only one with a sunset clause.
