Norbert L. Wilson, professor at Auburn University and lead author of “Do Grocery Food Sales Taxes Cause Food Insecurity?” will be presenting his research as part of the 2016 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting in Boston, July 31 – August 2.

The presentation is Tuesday, August 2, at 1:00 PM at the Marriott Copley Square, in the Vineyard Room on the fourth floor.

The talk will focus on grocery taxes, which are currently found in 14 states nationwide. The taxes present several big concerns about their potential to impact peoples’ ability to get the food they need.

“We saw a clear correlation between food insecurity and food taxes,” said Wilson, who, along with his co-authors, found that households that were eligible for the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but chose not to receive the benefits, had higher rates of food insecurity when grocery taxes were applied.

“When individuals use their EBT card they are not charged the tax,” Wilson said. “Eligible non-SNAP participants would be better served if they used the benefits.”