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San Luis Obispo considering 1 percent sales tax increase

December 12, 2019

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Emboldened by apparent voter support, the city of San Luis Obispo is not only considering a new sales tax measure, but one that would hike the current rate by a full percent.

San Luis Obispo officials have released the results of a survey conducted by a firm contracted by the city, which appear to indicate strong support for a tax increase initiative.

Poll results show 63 percent of residents surveyed are at least leaning toward supporting a ballot initiative that would raise the city sales tax by 1 percent. Additionally, 60 percent of those surveyed at least lean toward supporting a measure that would raise the sales tax rate by a half percent.

The 1 percent increase proposal was worded as a tax to fund services, maintenance and infrastructure. The half percent increase proposal would cover infrastructure only.

A general purpose sales tax increase requires a simple majority vote to pass.

The current sales tax rate in San Luis Obispo is 7.75 percent, a rate shared by all seven cities in SLO County. Each city in the county has already adopted its own half percent sales tax increase.

SLO voters renewed the city’s half percent sales tax in 2014, when Measure G passed with more than 70 percent support.

A few years later, city officials floated the idea of placing a sales tax hike on the 2018 ballot but tabled the idea because of a lack of public support.

San Luis Obispo is now one of several cities in the county currently considering a sales tax measure. Last November, Paso Robles voters rejected a half percent sales tax hike that appeared on the ballot in the North County city.


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It will all go to PERS contributions. The PERS thing is actuarily insolvent on it’s face.


10

Typical socialist move by these idiots.


19

Nothing to really do with socialism.


-15

I guess we should be glad they no longer call these tax hikes “Temporary”.


14

They just raised the sales tax last year and now they want to do it again. Democrats, that’s what they’re good at is raising taxes


17

Military spending are taxes too. They just spent 22 billion on submarines. That upsets me, issued by a different political side. I don’t see those submarines filling my potholes in my road.


-13

No big surprise that SLO city ‘officials’ want to have taxpayers pay more and more. That is a common theme for all city, county, state, and federal ‘officials’. For those who may not have access to it – this is spelled out explicitly in the handbook that all ‘officials’ get on day 1. How to soak the taxpayers is item #3 – right after #1 (How to get a salary increase), and #2 (How to maximize my benefits).


If SLO city voters are so blind or complacent to understand that the city will use every technique available to ‘convince’ the voters to open up their pocketbooks – then you are being the little obedient servants your city believes you are. All this B-S about services, maintenance, and infrastructure is just that – B-S. Anyone with the minimum knowledge knows the money will go for salary increases, extra benefits, CalPERS payoffs, etc. If that was not true, then just require that your city ‘officials’ legally specify exactly where added money will go – not just into general fund – to be used however they wish. Yes, a specific use tax increase would require a 2/3 majority vote (not 50%+1). But if there is a real need for these things they want you to believe are necessary – then they should be able convince 2/3 of you to vote for it.


I, myself, am against all tax increases that are not legally binding specified exactly what they can used for. Adding to the general fund is just wrong.


Hopefully, the taxpayers of Paso will again defeat any attempt at just adding to the general fund.


And the taxpayers of SLO city should ask themselves the same thing.


25

A sales tax? Why not a local income tax? We have people moving here that can afford small housers “starting in the low millions” so clearly they have more money than they need. Why penalize the poor when we have so many rich people farting around in their Teslas, Range Rovers and Mercedes Benz, apparently with too much time on their hands and not enough to do.


Seize the Day Progressives and implement a local income tax!


-15

Agreed. Rich folk hate taxes though.


-8

Why not make it optional? Those that feel under taxed are encouraged to pay more. And those that pay way to much taxes already can keep their money. Win-Win.


24

shocking…now let me get back to shopping on Amazon


20

You nailed it. Counties and schools get almost all of the constantly increasing property tax revenue. Cities live on sales tax and all online sales tax revenue goes to the city where the online retailer has a “physical presence”. It should go to the city where the buyer lives and the package lands on the porch, but the cities receiving ridiculous amounts of revenue for the presence of a computer server are lobbying hard to prevent reform.


0

1% ?


Why not show bold leadership and raise it 4%?


People need to be forced to pay more money to their leaders. Leaders need to make more money and the lawyers that protect them need to be paid. A 4% hike is the least we can do to show how much we appreciate being ruled in this manner.


Plus, a 4% hike will allow the city to hire more workers, pay more benefits to those workers and so forth. Shoot, hike it 5%! Do I hear 6?


It’s with morbid fascination that I watch how utterly powerless, supine and cowardly we have become in the face of a malignant government.


41

They prefer lots of slooooowwwwww foreplay before…well you know.


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