Yahoo Finance Food Stamps: Millions Rely on SNAP Benefits for Thanksgiving — How Eliminating Grocery Tax Could Help Even More
Thanksgiving can be a challenge for the more than 40 million Americans who rely on food stamp benefits because those benefits aren’t always enough to pay for a full Turkey Day spread. It is especially challenging this year due to benefit reductions and budget cuts to food stamp programs across the United States.
Food Stamps: What Is the Maximum SNAP EBT Benefit for 2024?
Find Out: What To Do If You Owe Back Taxes to the IRS
In March 2023, the federal government ended emergency food stamp allotments that were approved during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those allotments boosted monthly payments for food stamps, formally known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. A total of 32 states planned cuts to SNAP because of the end of emergency allotments, joining 18 others that previously did so.
When the emergency allotments ended, SNAP recipients who qualified for the extra money saw their monthly payments fall by $95 or more. According to some estimates, the average monthly SNAP benefit was reduced by $82 a month per person.
Meanwhile, at least four states — Alaska, Arkansas, Maryland and New Jersey — have seen their SNAP enrollments decline this year for reasons that range from stricter eligibility requirements to a lack of awareness about who is eligible.
The combination of food stamp cuts and inflation have led to longer lines at food banks in cities such as Atlanta and Houston this Thanksgiving, though other places have seen a rise in SNAP enrollments that should help beneficiaries put a turkey on the table.
One of those states is Illinois, which has seen a recent rise in households that qualify for SNAP, according to the Illinois Policy Institute. It cited data showing that in September 2023, the number of families relying on food stamps rose by more than 5,600 from the previous year.
More than 1 million Illinois families will “have turkey on the table” this Thanksgiving thanks to SNAP benefits, the Policy Institute reported. That’s up by more than 200,000 from the months leading up to the pandemic.
Illinois families who qualify for SNAP would get a boost in spending power if lawmakers there would eliminate the state’s 1% grocery tax. Illinois is one of only 13 states that impose the tax, according to the Policy Institute. It’s the only state among the 10 most populous with a grocery tax.
Stimulus Update: $5,000 Checks Are Coming to Residents of This State
As the Policy Institute noted, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker suspended the 1% tax for a year in his “election-year budget,” though it was later reinstated.
More From GOBankingRates
11 Signs You're Struggling Financially -- and 3 Ways To Get Back on Track
11 Uncommon Investments That Can Actually Make You A Lot of Money
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Food Stamps: Millions Rely on SNAP Benefits for Thanksgiving — How Eliminating Grocery Tax Could Help Even More
