Glen Carbon Trustees Approve Retaining Grocery Sales Tax

GLEN CARBON – Glen Carbon joins a growing list of local communities imposing their own sales taxes on groceries to offset major revenue loss before the state grocery tax expires on Jan. 1, 2026.

As Finance Director Kelly Korte explained at Tuesday’s Village Board meeting, the state-imposed 1% sales tax on groceries has historically gone directly to local municipalities. Korte estimated this grocery tax generates approximately $1 million for Glen Carbon, representing a significant revenue loss if the village allowed the tax to expire.

Illinois legislators have left the decision to local communities to either impose their own sales taxes on groceries and grocery “services” at the local level or accept the loss in sales tax revenue from the state. Korte said the village’s Finance Committee previously recommended the village continue collecting the grocery tax.

Mayor Bob Marcus asked Korte to confirm that this is not a “new tax,” which Korte confirmed – this will simply replace the 1% sales tax imposed by the state, effectively having no effect on grocery prices from 2025 to 2026.

This comes after similar ordinances were passed in Wood River, Edwardsville, and Jerseyville, with more details about each available on Riverbender.com.

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