Maori MP Hone Harawira says the goods and services tax should be removed from food and put on gambling instead.
The Residents Action Movement presented a 23,000-signature petition to Mr Harawira on the steps of Parliament om Wellington on Friday.
Mr Harawira says adding GST to gambling and removing it from food will help those who need it most, including children living in poverty.
He says petition organisers should keep gathering signatures and try to get enough to force a citizens' initiated referendum.
Residents Actions Movement chair Grant Morgan says they will work with other grass roots groups to collect the 300,000 signatures necessary to force a referendum, if they have to.
Mr Morgan says the public have shown support for the issues they have been trying to highlight and politicians should listen to what they have to say.
The group collected signatures as it made its way to Parliament from Northland. Mr Morgan says he expects the number of signatures to grow as more are being posted in.