Public hearing on potential new taxes tonight
I just wanted to put a quick reminder out there about tonight's public hearing in the County Commissioners' chambers.
The NC Legislature has authorized counties to ask their voting citizens to approve one new tax from a choice of two, or to reject both possible taxes. The taxes are a .25% increase in the sales tax (counties currently collect 2%; this would raise that rate to 2.25% while leaving the state's 4.25% untouched) or a .4% transfer tax on all real property sales (Durham currently collects a .2% fee; this would rise to .6% under this proposal.)
Whatever you think about either of these taxes, the legislature specifically wrote this enabling legislation to require a vote of the citizens. Those lobbying groups, and i'm especially talking about the Durham and NC Board of Realtors, who are urging the Commissioners to scrap the transfer tax without a public vote are attempting to circumvent democracy.
This decision properly belongs to the citizens of Durham, not to any single industry lobbying group.
I'll be there tonight making that point.
7 PM at the Commissioners' chambers in the Old Courthouse, at 200 East Main St., in downtown Durham.
I hope to see some of you there.
The NC Legislature has authorized counties to ask their voting citizens to approve one new tax from a choice of two, or to reject both possible taxes. The taxes are a .25% increase in the sales tax (counties currently collect 2%; this would raise that rate to 2.25% while leaving the state's 4.25% untouched) or a .4% transfer tax on all real property sales (Durham currently collects a .2% fee; this would rise to .6% under this proposal.)
Whatever you think about either of these taxes, the legislature specifically wrote this enabling legislation to require a vote of the citizens. Those lobbying groups, and i'm especially talking about the Durham and NC Board of Realtors, who are urging the Commissioners to scrap the transfer tax without a public vote are attempting to circumvent democracy.
This decision properly belongs to the citizens of Durham, not to any single industry lobbying group.
I'll be there tonight making that point.
7 PM at the Commissioners' chambers in the Old Courthouse, at 200 East Main St., in downtown Durham.
I hope to see some of you there.
Labels: Durham, local politics
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