City of Vallejo Sales Tax, Measure B (November 2011)
A City of Vallejo Sales Tax, Measure B ballot question was on the November 8, 2011 ballot for voters in the City of Vallejo in Solano County, where it was approved.[1]
If Measure B had been approved, a 1% sales tax would have been charged on purchases of goods and services made within the city limits of the City of Vallejo for ten years. This would have resulted in the total sales tax in the city increasing from 7.375% to 8.375%.
The new tax was expected to raise about $9.8 million a year for the City of Vallejo.[2]
Election results
| Measure B | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 9,295 | 50.43% | ||
| No | 9,136 | 49.57% | ||
- Election results are from the Solano County elections office.
Concerns about ballot language
John Estes and others have raised concerns to the Vallejo City Council about how Measure B is worded on the ballot. They point out that the language of the ballot question says "shall the sales tax be raised one cent." What that technically means, according to Estes, is that no matter what the size of a particular purchase is, the sales tax on it would be one cent. For example, both a $50 purchase and a $5,000 purchase would be taxed "one cent." Estes says, "The people are voting on something that's not true, that's going to be a problem."[3]
Mayor Osby Davis defended the language, saying he believes that people will understand that "one cent" means "one cent on the dollar." He said, "Everybody understands when you talk about sales tax, it's about a percentage of what you spend. I don't really think it's confusing. I think someone could make the argument if they wanted to nitpick this through."[3]
Text of measure
The question on the ballot:
| Measure B: To enhance funding for 9-1-1 response, police patrols, firefighter and paramedic services, youth and senior programs, street and pothole repair, graffiti removal, economic development, and general city services, shall the sales tax be raised one cent, expiring after ten years, with all revenue legally required to stay in Vallejo?[4] |
See also
External links
- Text of Measure B
- Impartial analysis by city attorney
- Argument in favor of Measure B
- Argument against Measure B
Footnotes
- ↑ The Reporter, "Vallejo voters to weigh two proposed tax measures," August 22, 2011
- ↑ City of Vallejo, "Measure B"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Times Herald Online, "Measure B debate may come down to a single penny," October 19, 2011
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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