Tax matters
You'll notice something when looking at the list of counties seeking authority to raise land-transfer or sales taxes this fall: No big boys.
From the N.C. Association of County Commissioners:
When the deadline for putting the options on the November ballot passed in early September, 11 counties (Brunswick, Chatham, Gates, Henderson, Hoke, Macon, Moore, Pender, Polk, Swain and Union) had decided to put the 0.4 percent land transfer tax option on the ballot, 11 counties (Catawba, Columbus, Cumberland, Greene, Hertford, Lenoir, Martin, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson and Surry) were pursuing the sales tax option, and five counties (Davie, Graham, Harnett, Johnston and Rutherford) had decided to put both options in front of voters. In addition, Alexander County will seek the quarter-cent sales tax option Jan. 8, and six counties (Caswell, Duplin, Edgecombe, Lee, Onslow and Pamlico) have announced plans to pursue one of the options in next May's primary election.
None of the state's nine largest counties are on the list. You've got some fast-growing ones, like Brunswick and Chatham, but the big ones like Mecklenburg, Wake, Forsyth and Guilford are staying on the sidelines for now.
Guilford commissioners are putting this thing off until May, if they do it at all. Some other large counties don't want to tick off taxpayers who will vote on bond proposals in November.
Expect this discussion to heat up again in the next few months, when the larger counties decide if they want ot put the sales or transfer tax on the May ballot.
Comments (2)
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Damn, them bond referendums! Would be like the
county, during a heavy election season to throw that crap at us. Every statewide election, there's
a bond referendum.
Can we get a referendum that guarantees our employers will give us just compensation, to justify
the cost of living we'll be facing with all these bond
referendums? I think not.
People, like any contract, read the fine print.
But most of all, don't let them do it!!
Posted on September 29, 2007 5:35 PM
It's interesting, as you note, that the "big boys" aren't getting in on this action yet.
My colleagues at the John Locke Foundation are looking at the numbers for each county proposing increases in their sales taxes, land-transfer taxes, or both. The JLF home page has the updated list.
Posted on October 4, 2007 10:40 AM