Here’s Why Groceries May Soon Cost More In Moline, Illinois

Will we have to take out a loan to go grocery shopping?

Let's review: nearly everything on a normal grocery list is expensive. If it's not because of inflation, it's the bird flu. Eggs (and possibly turkey soon in our area) are a sign of wealth these days.

Read More: Bird Flu May Make Another Grocery Item More Expensive For Iowans

But now, we could be in for round 2 of grocery hikes, this time on the Illinois side.

Why Prices In Moline Might Go Up

Back in the fall, Illinois decided to get rid of it's state grocery tax (which was 1%) that would go into effect on January 1st, 2026.

Though the statewide tax was repealed, it still gave Illinois communities the option to have their own grocery tax. Revenue comes into these cities through that 1% grocery tax so it's not surprising that some want to have their own. As Milan Trustee Bruce Stickell told KWQC at the time:

We have to get every revenue we can in order to keep property taxes low and to keep the businesses we have in Milan. Every time something gets taken away...you have to come up with another idea and how you can replace that. And it’s getting harder and harder.

Now, Moline is taking action. A proposal to keep their own grocery tax after next January passed it's first reading in a City Council meeting.

The good news: it's not like the new grocery tax would be an insane amount, it would still be the 1% grocery tax. But it could be more than you pay at stores in other Illinois towns.

If Moline were to pass the grocery tax proposal, it wouldn't go into effect until after the statewide grocery tax ends on January 1st, 2026. So we would have a little less than a year.