At the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Thursday, June 20 meeting, the commissioners made it official: The board voted unanimously to put a quarter-cent sales tax increase on the November 2024 ballot, and they also adopted a resolution stating that the new money raised “would provide a significant revenue source for the anticipated expense required to provide sufficient funding to increase compensation for our educators and classified employees.”
“Classified employees” are the ones such as bus drivers, cafeteria workers and janitors who have notoriously been very poorly paid in the past.
The board made the move even though this will be the seventh time the quarter-cent sales tax option has been on the ballot in Guilford County, and even though voters have said no thanks in those previous elections – often by a very wide margin.
However, as they say, the seventh time’s a charm.
At least, that’s what the county commissioners are hoping, and, during the discussion preceding the official adoption of the ballot measure and the resolution supporting it, the commissioners were already starting to sell the virtues of the new tax increase to the community.
This time around the board is using a carrot and stick approach. One carrot is that, since it is a sales tax, it will be paid, to some extent – perhaps 25 percent to 30 percent – by those who pass through and work in Guilford County but who don’t live in the county. Another carrot is that, this time around, the Board of Commissioners is promising to use the money for pay raises for educators and classified employees.
The stick is stated clearly in the resolution the county adopted on June 20: “Whereas, the passage of the one-quarter cent county sales and use tax would help to prevent significant increase in the property tax burden on homeowners and local businesses….”
So, if you don’t pass the sales tax, you can expect higher property tax rates in the future.
Commissioner Frankie Jones said at the June 20 meeting that he believes some county residents don’t understand how small the increase would be. He said some people hear the words “quarter-cent sales tax increase” and think perhaps it would be an increase of a quarter per dollar.
But he pointed out that’s not the case.
“It’s a fraction of a penny, he said. “What it is is a fraction of a penny, not a quarter of a dollar. I think that’s a critical part of this.”
Jones said that, if you want to visualize it, take a penny out of your pocket and look at it and then imagine 25 percent of that penny being taken away.
He also pointed out that the tax increases wouldn’t apply to many items such as groceries, gasoline and medicine.
Jones also stressed that non-resident visitors to the county would be paying a good portion of the tax.
Commissioner Pat Tilman said he believed it was possible to convince Guilford County voters to approve the measure since counties more conservative than Guilford County had done so.
Roughly half of the 100 counties in North Carolina have approved a sales tax increase.
“We need it,” Tillman said, adding that it would go toward helping pay school system employees.
My belief is that, if we educate the voters and inform them, then it can pass,” Tillman said, adding, “It’s working in the counties that have adopted it.”
The sales tax, if voters approve it later this year, is estimated to provide about $25 million in extra revenue for Guilford County government. That money would start rolling in around April of 2025.
Guilford County voters should expect a massive publicity push for adoption of the sales tax hike by county leaders, school leaders and community organizations leading up to the election.
The only thing more frustrating than Guilford County Board of Commissioners waisting the time, tax dollars and effort to increase property taxes is their apparently lack of awareness of MOST taxpayers financial position ESPECIALLY at the present time.
We WILL NOT give them more money to waste!
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When I came to live in North Carolina the statewide Sales Tax rate was 4% (1984).
Since then, the population and economy have grown hugely, resulting in a massive windfall of revenue for state and local coffers. That’s if they left the rate where it was. But such is the unbridled greed of the Parasitic Sector that they have nearly doubled the rate, and seek once again to jack it up, and reach into your bank account.
They even lie about the math. An increase to 7% from 6.75% is an increase of 3.7%, not a quarter of one per cent.
And it would take additional millions out of the local economy, to support those who generate no wealth and (as commendable as their work may be) are in purely economic terms, completely parasitic, as outlined by Hayek.
Just Say No to the greed we’ve suffered under Democrats.
Vote NO… or we’ll soon end up like England whose Sales Tax (VAT) has now reached 20% (once 8%).
Nope! Don’t care for the commissioners, their threats nor their tax increases and waste.
I do not care for them either!!! A money racquet lies and deceit.
How much $ is being burned to attempt to fool the people into going for this
stupidity, after a record breaking property tax hike?
My head is spinning, I just read “Greensboro Is One Of The Best Run Cities In The Nation, Study Says”. That doesn’t seem to square with all the happy talk about how great it will be to have a TAX INCREASE. Just adding insult to the injury of losing twenty percent of our buying power over the past three and a half years.
How about a “pitch”-fork with tar & feathers?
What happened to the additional $90 million they are receiving each year per the re-evaluation of properties!! Plus all the revenue from new subdivisions with homes valued at $550k to $990k?? Just wondering??
Annnnd they won’t even pick up dead leaves from
your curb anymore!
Now THATS an efficient government!
The pitch for higher taxes will revolve around schools and teachers. Don’t be fooled. The tax increase is to repay the school bonds that somehow got passed. Voting for the bonds was a vote for increasing taxes. Vote NO in November. Regardless of how the county spins their sales pitch to the voters, this is a Skip Alston and Deena Hayes tax increase. Do not give Skip Alston more tax money to spend.