Tuesday, May 17, 2022

What are the Actual, Historic Amounts Collected by the BCC for our 1 Cent and 1/2 Cent Sales Taxes?




There were some inaccurate figures thrown out at last week's meeting whent the subject of sales tax swapped for MSBU was discussed.  Some lowball numbers were thrown out that didn's sound accurate.  I thought the half penny was generating and would generate a little over $30 Million annually.  Others thought the number was closer to $25 Million yearly.

So I turned to the school district's 1/2 penny sales tax chart and lo and behold it is clocking $32 Million.  

That's what it brought in last year, that's what the school board is budgeting it will bring in this year.

So I asked staff why their 1/2 penny was outperforming us by $7 Million yearly.  

Turns out, it isn't outperforming us--we just didn't have the right number.  So I requested historical actuals from staff and received the chart above.

Looks like the half penny is generating $32 million in the county as well as the school board--not $25 Million.  

In this economy right now--out 1 penny is collecting nearly $60 Million, and our half penny is north of $30 Million-------just as I originally thought and stated at the meeting.

Glad we got that one sorted out........
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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 18, 2022 at 6:57 PM

    Make a motion to get it done tomorrow. Remove the $125 MSBU.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jeff BergoshMay 19, 2022 at 6:45 AM

    It's a bit more complex than that, anonymous 6:57---but I am going to work it that direction. I just wish folks knew that this is not a tax increase--it is a tax swap and the MSBU GOES AWAY. Give me 3-5 minutes with any Escambia County Taxpaying property owner, and I will explain it and they will leave such a meeting supporting this proposal. It is better, it eliminates the MSBU, it is funded by a miniscule, de minimis amount on non-exempt purchases, and brings EVERYBODY into the world of helping to pay for fire service in Escambia (tourists, those who do not own property nor pay rent but that have the latest iPhone and eat out three meals a day and buy the latest bling and are actually hyper-consumers while technically considering themselves "poor", those who work here and own property in Gulf Breeze, Milton, or Pace, etc. etc.) Last but not least--the half penny generates $32 Million, an amount sufficient to eliminate the MSBU and fully fund the fire services of Escambia County while the average consumer wouldn't even notice the burden, and 30-35% would be paid by out of towners. Yes, this form of a consumption tax is a much better way to go. I just need to help people understand. Which I will do. Then I need two more votes to go forward to the ballot.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 19, 2022 at 1:40 PM

    Would it be feasible to just do the 1cent tax and call it done so the fire department/public safety doesn’t have to come back again asking for more funding? Seems like our fire department is growing so the need for more funding will be there. Can we get ahead of the curve and fix the issue while it’s on the table so it doesn’t come back up again next year

    ReplyDelete

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