Getting people to tax themselves and others for any purpose is never an easy thing to do.
Tax measures are hard to pass, even in the best economic times, so why is every jurisdiction in Colusa County asking for a sales tax increase now?
What made the Nov. 8 election so different as to prompt the governing bodies of Colusa County, Williams, and Colusa to make such unprecedented moves?
Could it be that the need for what our local tax dollars can buy is simply so great?
As a Maxwell resident, I can only vote for Measure A. If you live in either Colusa or Williams, you will have two sales tax measures to consider.
Measure A is a special tax that, if passed, would cost us an additional half cent on every $1 we spend on taxable goods and services purchased anywhere in Colusa County. It’s supposed to generate about $2 million annually in revenue to support ground ambulance services.
At first, I was totally apathetic to the outcome on this one. If it passed, OK; if it didn’t pass, OK. But that kind of thinking didn’t make voting any easier. So, I decided to liken my yes/no ballot dilemma to playing Russian Roulette at my big toe with one round in a two-shot pistol. Following the laws of probability, I have a 50 percent chance of feeling a bullet tear through my flesh and bone – and a 50 percent chance that I won’t. But since that didn’t make voting any easier either, I figured – like swallowing a spoonful of sugar – I should probably just increase my chances of having an ambulance show up to take me to the hospital before I bleed out or for any other emergency. I just wish someone would tell me if I will still have to pay an ambulance bill.
As a Maxwell resident, I can’t vote on Measure B, which would give Colusa another 1 cent on goods purchased in their city, or Measure C, which would add another half cent to Williams’ coffers on goods purchased there. I only have an opinion.
If all three measures pass, combined state and local sales taxes will be 7.75 percent in the unincorporated areas of Colusa County; and 8.75 percent in both Williams and Colusa. That’s higher than nearby jurisdictions, but not enough to likely change anyone’s shopping habits. The State of California still gets the greater share at 6 percent, with some trickling back to local jurisdictions now and then at the state’s whim in the form of grants and services.
So, the question you have to ask yourself when you vote on Measure B or Measure C is, “What would everyone get if everyone paid a few pennies more when they ordered a cappuccino, ate out for dinner, and made purchases on everything but food?”
The answer is that everyone might get what they deserve: better roads in our communities, nicer parks, passable sidewalks, and more public safety protection.
I’ve always felt that local officials do a lousy job at marketing sales tax measures. You are more likely to hear from them the tired swizz that only tourists bear the burden of a sales tax increase, than hear them say, “Damn it! The State of California has been purloining the lion’s share of tax revenue generated in our local communities since 1933 and we are getting the short end of the stick. We need more money that we control to fix our roads, maintain our parks, pay police and firefighters, and improve the quality of existence for everyone that lives here, works here, or just passes through…and everyone needs to pitch in.”
If the latter is the truth, then voting yes on a sales tax increase should be easy.
Unlike school bonds or special assessments, which are taxes tied to property for highly localized reasons, a small increase in the taxes we all pay when we buy goods and services is the only way to assure that everyone contributes to the infrastructure we all use and the services we can’t perform ourselves – regardless of where we actually live.
As a Maxwell resident, I won’t pay to build a new school in Williams or for lighting and landscaping in a Colusa subdivision I can ill afford to live in. But if asked, I will pay a few extra pennies when I order takeout or stop at the hardware store before I head home from work.
As someone who spends a lot of time – and shops – in Williams and Colusa, I will not begrudge paying a few cents more for the privilege of driving on your streets and walking on your sidewalks…or for the comfort in knowing that if I get mugged or fall down, your first responders aren’t going to ask me my zip code before rendering aid. ■