Taxes on groceries purchased in Alabama will once again be an issue in the 2009 session of the state Legislature. There is support for repealing the tax, but Rep. Jimmy Martin isn’t one of those legislators, and we agree with him.

“I’m not sure [repealing the tax] is a good thing for taxpayers,” The Clanton Advertiser on Saturday quoted Martin as saying. “It’s the only fair tax.”

Any such bill would likely remove the federal exemption on state income tax, as a way of replacing the lost revenue. A similar bill came up in the Legislature last year, and it failed.

As Martin said, a sales tax is the fairest tax we can have. Everyone has to pay it, and it is based on how much money you spend. Some people may not have to pay property, income or ad valorem taxes. It’s not fair to let those go without paying while others will have to pick up the slack.