Stock up on white flour tortillas and red chile pods now. The New Mexico Senate
voted late Saturday night to extend the state’s gross receipts tax on a wide
variety of foods after a wide-ranging debate that included attempts to raise
taxes from the state’s wealthiest residents and out-of-state corporations.
Brought forward by Sen. Bernadette Sanchez, D-Albuquerque, the food tax passed
on a vote of 23 to 19. The measure exempts foods offered through the state’s
nutrition program for women, infants and children, known as the WIC program,
plus fresh or frozen meats, poultry and chicken. But it also taxes many foods
considered staples, like white flour tortillas, white bread and red chile pods.
It helps prevent additional cuts to Medicaid, to courts, to seniorsand
hopefully it’ll eventually have a health benefit by reducing obesity and
diabetes, Sanchez said.
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