Hall County and its municipalities have always supported the special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) since its inception. Across the state, every county but three have the SPLOST in place. On March 17, we will vote whether to continue SPLOST in our community for the seventh time. A Yes vote will “keep a good thing going” for another five years – starting in July 2015.
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Here’s what you should know about SPLOST VII
• SPLOST VII would primarily fund public safety, roads and infrastructure – all of which must be funded in some manner as a foundation for our local economy and everyday life.
• Without SPLOST, the likely alternative would be higher property taxes, unfairly shifting the tax burden onto the backs of local property owners.
• Even those who don’t own property are affected, potentially facing higher apartment and office rents without the one-penny SPLOST.
• The one-penny SPLOST is paid by everyone who shops or purchases goods in Hall County. It is estimated that up to 40 percent of SPLOST revenues comes from shoppers and tourists visiting our community.
• For many of the proposed projects, SPLOST revenues are used to leverage matching state and federal grants.
• In our daily shopping around town, we hardly notice paying an extra penny on the dollar. But over the next five years, all those pennies would add up to a projected $158 million – money that is collected locally, then invested right back into our community.
• To ensure accountability, a citizens’ oversight committee will review and monitor all SPLOST expenditures.
