Committee recommends ditching county grocery tax
Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Washington County Legislative Affairs Committee discussed several bills, including one that would give voters the ability to repeal a county sales tax on groceries, that members would like to send to the Arkansas Legislature for consideration.
Justice of the Peace H.L. Goodwin pitched the grocery tax repeal to the committee, even though he is not a member. He said the county should follow Gov. Mike Beebe’s lead and take the tax away. He added that it’s one of the few times voters can choose to take a tax away.
“God knows nobody else is going to give them a chance to do it,” he said.
The suggestion passed 4-0, but it requires approval by the Quorum Court before members can start contacting local legislators to ask for help and sponsorship.
Other issues that the county will look for legislative help on include a bill that would suspend vehicle registration for people who have repeat misdemeanor warrants out and a bill that would allow the county to give voters a chance to put a 2-percent sales tax on hotels and motels.
“It’s a way to get other people to help pay for Washington County’s needs, kind of like a user fee,” JP Steve Zega said.
Zega said most people who use area hotels and motels are not from Washington County, so the tax would not fall on the shoulders of county residents.
Committee Chairman Micah Neal said the county is in need of new income sources, so a bill like this would be helpful.
“We’re going to have to look for something here in the next three years or you may see the court be forced to do something like raise property taxes,” Neal said.
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