The grocery tax issue appears to be dead this session. The Alabama House of Representatives voted on a bill yesterday that would repeal the state’s 4-cent tax on groceries but would also eliminate the federal income taxes paid credit on state income taxes. The House voted 56-42 for the bill, but that was short of the 59 votes needed to bring it up for debate in the 104-member House.

The problem is this bill doesn’t save many people as much money as it could cost them for not getting the credit on their state income tax. If the bill just simply repealed the grocery tax, there wouldn’t be a problem with it passing. But it doesn’t.

If both the tax and credit had been repealed, the state would likely put more money in its coffers in the disguise of a tax cut. This just isn’t good government.