Published: 1 years 312 days ago
Sacramento Bee: The Sacramento City Council on Tuesday night voted unanimously against placing a measure on the November ballot that would have increased annual taxes paid by city businesses.
City staffers had proposed phasing in an increase in the business operations tax that would have eventually generated more than $7 million a year for the city's battered general fund, which pays for cops, firefighters and parks.
The council was also scheduled to vote on placing a local tax on marijuana, but that vote took place after The Bee's deadline. The tax would apply to medical marijuana dispensaries and any marijuana businesses permitted should a statewide ballot measure pass in November legalizing pot for adults.
The proposed ballot measure to increase the business tax got pushback from Mayor Kevin Johnson and the business community.
At his weekly press conference Tuesday, the mayor said that while he thinks the city should look at updating its BOT for the first time since 1991, "I don't think the timing is right."
"When you think about taxing someone today in this economy, there's a visceral reaction, is now the right time to do it?" the mayor said.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/13/2888799/council-nixes-putting-increased.html#ixzz0tdeCGTYz
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