Sales Tax Hikes (The Insider)
Voters in Duplin, New Hanover and Onslow counties approved referendums to impose local-option quarter-cent sales tax hikes on Tuesday. The ballot measures had previously failed in Duplin and Onslow counties. David Thompson, executive director of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners, said the voter-approved initiatives will help those counties avoid property tax increases. “These results show that citizens understand the dire situation many county budgets are in,” Thompson said in a written statement. “With county sales tax revenues declining and property values decreasing, many counties are facing tough choices about whether to cut services and employees or raise property taxes.” The measure narrowly passed in New Hanover County, but 70 percent of voters in Onslow County backed the increase.(THE INSIDER, 5/06/10).
