It’s rare that we can look at a tax as a good thing, but the quarter-cent sales tax on the Nov. 3 ballot (also your early ballot) is a tax everyone should get behind.
It’s one-quarter of one penny on top of the 6.75 pennies charged on every dollar value of a purchase. The state takes 4.75 of that.
Hundreds of thousands of people pass through our county during the tourist season and the rest of the year as well. Folks who live here eat, drink, shop and do business — whether they are rich or poor, landowners or renters, everyone pays sales tax, the same amount on the same sales. It cannot be argued that it’s not fair.
It’s a little bit that adds up quickly.
The county anticipates an extra $1.7 million or more to come in annually if the quarter-cent is approved. That’s $1.7 million which is not coming from a property tax hike, an increase which only directly affects landowners. That savings on property taxes can in turn help families make ends meet, or in some cases make or break a small business.
Spreading the burden across every retail purchase is fair and reasonable, especially since such a small amount generally will not be felt.
What benefits would we as taxpayers and citizens get from this increase?
Quite a few, actually.
Unlike some counties that are asking for sales tax increases to go straight into the county coffers, Columbus County actually has a plan. Part of the revenue would be split proportionally between the county schools, city schools and Southeastern Community College. County officials have put guardrails on those payments as well: schools must submit a ten-year priority list that would be funded by the additional revenue.
County emergency services and recreation, two growing areas of our budget, would also receive some of the funds, but again, not as a giant bonus check. The dollars could only be issued on specific purposes and projects identified by parks and rec and emergency officials, with the future in mind.
The demand for youth sports facilities and the need for first responders will both only increase as we continue to see more folks moving here from elsewhere. New residents will require more services, which would require more property tax increases. Usually those tax increases are required before new revenues from new property taxes are realized.
While we would like to see a sunset provision and more specificity in the reasons for sales taxes included on referenda, Columbus County is doing much better than some other North Carolina counties in specifying how the additional sales tax (if approved) would be used. Some counties deserve their hands slapped and their requests ignored since explanations are entirely too vague.
It’s our opinion that a vote for the quarter-cent sales tax increase is a vote for a more positive future for our county. Vote yes on the sales tax referendum. — JW
