Death of a Sales Tax
This serves as a lesson...
The County Board will decide if it wants to formalize a new policy to allow using county sales tax money to help attract jobgenerating business projects.
[...]
Earlier this week, the County Board’s Executive Committee agreed to a rewrite of the county ordinance regulating the use of sales tax revenue to include its use for specific and approved economic development projects. That proposed ordinance chance now goes to the full County Board for approval on Sept. 14.
The five-member committee of county supervisors expressed support for adding economic development projects as authorized targets for sales tax revenue.
Annually, the county sales tax generates more than $8 million, which the ordinance currently restricts for use on capital projects — major facility construction or repairs — debt retirement and property tax levy reduction.
The revised ordinance, if approved by the board next month, would add “County Board approved economic development projects” into that list of approved uses for sales tax revenues.
The sales tax was originally sold to Washington County taxpayers as a necessary temporary necessity to pay for some significant capital projects. It originally had a sunset date. The County Board decided to keep the tax alive after the projects for which it was levied were complete and now just use it for whatever catches their whimsy.
Lesson: a new tax levied for whatever purpose will never be rescinded.
But you liked it when they didn’t have to raise your property tax because of it.
Posted by capper on August 26, 2010 at 2018 hrs
Really? You’re going to have to back that up because I’ve been pretty consistent opposing our county sales tax.
Posted by Owen on August 26, 2010 at 2028 hrs
Calling in back up.
Posted by capper on August 26, 2010 at 2041 hrs
capper, you better call in more backup…
Lesson: a new tax levied for whatever purpose will never be rescinded.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 26, 2010 at 2051 hrs
Hmmmm… I don’t see in my post where I praised the sales tax. Fact is, that budget cut spending by over 7%.
Perhaps Milwaukee County should follow suit.
Posted by Owen on August 26, 2010 at 2052 hrs
We tried to do the same thing, but Walker blocked it.
Now, tens of thousands of jobs lost, and Walker is about to cause more to go buh-bye. Sort of like he did with our public safety.
Posted by capper on August 26, 2010 at 2055 hrs
lol
I knew a chance to fire at Walker would distract you from actually attempting to defend your indefensible point. Too predictable.
Look at the shiny thing over there…
Posted by Owen on August 26, 2010 at 2058 hrs
Not at all. You have yet to refute the context.
Posted by capper on August 26, 2010 at 2059 hrs
What? That I have always opposed the Washington County sales tax and that I supported a county budget with a 7% decrease in spending?
Fine. Done.
Posted by Owen on August 26, 2010 at 2103 hrs
Well I guess we’ll never see the sunset date for the “stadium tax” either.
Goes to show those brilliant minds like Belling’s aren’t all that brilliant at all. Frikking Blowhard.Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 26, 2010 at 2208 hrs
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Posted by tianxia on August 26, 2010 at 2326 hrs
As Col. Redlegs said ” doing good ain’t got no end”
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 27, 2010 at 0519 hrs
We just fought over a county sales tax on the Sheboygan County Board last year. Those of us opposed to the tax won out in the end, our position being bolstered by strong support from local “tea party” rally supporters. It became clear that the public wanted us to cut the budget and stop spending their money, not just take the easy way out and raise their taxes.
On the other hand we faced organized support FOR the tax from the county Constitutional Officers, primarily the Sheriff who saw this as a means to keep his dept. humming along without the pain the rest of the world faces when budgets shrink.
We presently remain one of only a handful of counties without the extra tax. And you’re right, a new tax levied for any purpose whatsoever will never be recinded.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 27, 2010 at 0759 hrs
Capper ... get back to work…
Posted by Smeety on August 27, 2010 at 0829 hrs
We presently remain one of only a handful of counties without the extra tax. And you’re right, a new tax levied for any purpose whatsoever will never be recinded.
I was at several of the board meetings when the sales tax and the “use” fee for the parks and lakes were being discussed… Our questions got some of the board members pretty hacked off, and it showed the true nature of the Sheboygan County board. A government club that never has anyone looking over it’s shoulder. “How dare you question our authority?”
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 27, 2010 at 0852 hrs
Eliminate this tax, when they start looking for new ideas to spend money on because we have an abundance of tax dollars one needs to question this.
We just threw more money at the administration center because some offices of one department were on a seperate level and they needed to all be on the same floor. Makes me wonder how any corporation can function with offices in several cities not to mention countries. Why does the courthouse need to be such a world class facility? is polished marble needed to impress the criminals at court time.
Point I am making is if there was less to spend perhaps we would be more conservative with these dollars and not make every park bathroom a Taj Mahal.Now again talk about creating a head Czar to watch over the entire county, good grief people leave well enough alone, nobody needs to have this type of power, but i suppose it takes the monkey off the back of the elected officials.
Speaking of elected officials I hope they wise up, its not like the old days when you received a free pass every election cycle, people are watching and getting involved and will hold you acountable. Its not enough to just write a check yearly to the Republican party and call yourself conservative, you need to govern as a conservative as well.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 27, 2010 at 1119 hrs
The Seattle Times editorial board argues that “Congress should enact consistent sales-tax laws to even playing field for Main Street businesses,” and I suppose that seems like a fair and reasonable enough objective. But do they understand that there’s no practical way of achieving this goal without putting tens of thousands of small entrepreneurs out of business, including many here in Washington state
Posted by Tumbled Marble on August 31, 2010 at 0233 hrs
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