Wilson County voters decidedly shut down a proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase Tuesday during a lackluster local primary election.
The sales tax referendum, which county commissioners voted in a split decision to put on the ballot, lost by 7,786 votes out of 16,896 that were cast, a margin of 73 percent against and 27 in support.
Since the tax increase, which officials say could have raised $2.1 million, was proposed, there has been strong opposition from citizens attending commissioners meetings and strong support from the business community and school system.
James Smith, getting off his motorcycle this morning at McDonald's on Tarboro Street, said he was glad it didn't pass. The biggest reason he was against the sales tax was because of the uncertainty of where the money would go, he said.
"They wouldn't come up with any use for it," Smith said, adding that he thought even if the sales tax would have passed commissioners would have eventually raised property taxes.
"It was a win-win situation for them," he said. "I figured it would go up any way with all the organizations asking for more money."
Inside McDonald's, Wayne Neal said he was also glad the sales tax increase did not pass.
"I think we are taxed enough already," Neal said. "I wasn't ready for it. Not yet. The gas prices are already burning us up. Old people on a pension check just can't make it."
Freddie Stott, sitting nearby, agreed everyone was being taxed enough.
"I think it is fine it didn't pass," he said. "But they are going to get it some other way. I think the sales tax might have been more fair than a property tax because everyone has to pay. But our property taxes are way too much now."
At Starbucks on Nash Street, Chip Snipes said he could understand some of the arguments for the sales tax, like people not wanting to pay higher property taxes.
"But I voted against it because I don't think the county uses the resources it has effectively enough," Snipes said. "And while some voted for it in hopes that the sales tax would preclude any further property tax increases, I did not trust the local government to not do both."
Jasper Stem, who was at the Board of Elections Tuesday night, said he felt like voters could have been more responsive to the sales tax increase only if the county government would have shown more fiscal responsibility.
The outcome of the referendum should make political leaders "stop and think" about being more responsible to taxpayers, Stem said.
"It's easy to spend other people's money," he said.
The Wilson Chamber of Commerce; Board of Education; and Vote For Progress, a committee of business and education leaders rallied in April to support the sales tax increase.
The Wilson County Republican Party gave away about 400 yard sign proclaiming "Vote No" for the increase.
Frank Emory, chairman of Wilson County commissioners, said he thought the vote against the sales tax increase was "a big mistake" that would affect property taxes in the future.
Commissioners will have to complete the upcoming budget before it is determined if property taxes need to be raised for next year, Emory said.
The sales tax would have added $2.1 million to the revenue stream and equaled a 4-cent per $100 value to the tax rate, Emory said.
"Everyone has asked us if we were going to reduce property taxes," he said. "It (the sales tax increase) would have given us a lot of opportunity to do that. ...The people have spoken this go round. I think it was a big mistake because the sales tax at this level is the fairest tax we could have come up with."
By increasing the sales tax, the burden would not have fallen on just homeowners, but it would include people from outside the county who come here to shop, Emory said.
"The legislature mandates that the counties provide certain services, and we want to do that at a certain level," Emory said.
Some of those services are to the school system and community college, he said.
"We have to participate in economic incentives," he said. "I wish we didn't have to do that. But all over the country that is the way it is done. We have to buy more land."
Emory said the county did have a plan for the sales tax increase and that was to forestall a property tax increase and provide better services.
According to the vote Tuesday night, the public is saying they would be more receptive to a property tax increase to meet the mandates and level of service the county needs to provide, Emory said.
eddie@wilsontimes.com | 265-7820