Twin Counties voters have some very important decisions in front of them Tuesday.
Not the least among those party choices for president, governor, legislators and commissioners is the choice to approve or deny a proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase.
Residents will vote "for" or "against" upping the sales tax by a penny for every $4 spent. The sales tax is one of the fairer taxes we pay because it doesn't target one specific group. More than that, the way county commissioners in Nash and Edgecombe are looking at allocating this extra revenue makes a lot of sense.
Nash County commissioners have pledged to spend 80 percent of that additional revenue on much-needed public school and community college projects.
Edgecombe County could use the boon to help pay down its debt service or for public school projects not financed by the $12 million bond initiative.
These are not only great projects to support, they're also sorely needed. And it comes at a cost consumers can afford to bear. The rewards far outweigh the sting in approving a tax hike.
The tax referendum is a product of the state government's plan to begin paying counties' share of Medicaid expenses. Under the plan, counties have to give a portion of their sales tax revenue to the state in exchange for the state assuming full funding for Medicaid. Counties were given the option of raising the sales tax or increasing the land transfer tax to make up for the lost revenue.
Many local officials are leary of a land transfer tax – and rightly so in light of the fierce opposition to and failure of a dozen or so land transfer tax proposals in other counties.
If the quarter-cent sales tax is approved, it would generate an additional $2.8 million during its first year in Nash. That's equivalent to a 5 percent increase in property tax rates.
Edgecombe County would receive an extra $700,000 in sales tax revenue each year.
On Tuesday, North Carolina voters will be in the national spotlight as we do our part to decide party nominations. We also should be just as judicious in our decision to ease the burden on counties by approving the sales tax increase. It's the right thing to do, and the best thing for the Twin Counties.
