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St. Helena, California, Sales Tax, Measure D (November 2016)
| Measure D: St. Helena Sales Tax |
|---|
|
| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 8, 2016 |
| Status: |
 Approved
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| Topic: |
| Local sales tax Expires in: Never |
| Related articles |
| Local sales tax on the ballot November 8, 2016 ballot measures in California Napa County, California ballot measures City tax on the ballot |
| See also |
| St. Helena, California |
A sales tax measure was on the ballot for St. Helena voters in Napa County, California, on November 8, 2016. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of authorizing the city to impose a 0.5 percent sales tax. |
| A no vote was a vote against authorizing the city to impose a 0.5 percent sales tax. |
Election results
| Measure D | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 1,868 | 69.37% | ||
| No | 825 | 30.63% | ||
- Election results from Napa County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
To fund vital City services such as local street maintenance, 911 emergency medical, police and fire response, pedestrian/cyclist/traffic safety, park maintenance, library services, programs for youth and seniors, and to preserve the City's long-term financial stability and small town character, shall the City of St. Helena adopt a one half percent Transactions and Use Tax, generating approximately $1,400,000 annually with all revenues benefiting the City?[2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the St. Helena City Attorney:
| “ |
The City Council has placed on the ballot the question whether to approve an ordinance enacting a transactions and use tax within the City of St. Helena. The tax rate authorized by the ordinance would be one-half of one percent (0.50%) of the retail sales price, or one-half cent for an item that costs one dollar. Currently, the tax on retail sales in St. Helena is 8% of the purchase price. The City receives 1.0%, the County of Napa 0.75% and the remaining 6.25% goes to the State. Technically, the existing 8% “sales tax” is a combination of “sales and use tax” and “transactions and use tax.” Both are levied on the sale or use of tangible personal property sold at retail, with certain limited exceptions. Retailers collect the tax at the time of sale and remit the funds to the State Board of Equalization, which administers the tax. This measure would authorize an additional 0.50% (one-half of one percent) transaction and use tax, which would increase the total sales tax rate to 8.5%. Of that total amount, 1.5% would be deposited in the City’s general fund and be available to support the full range of municipal services. This tax on retail sales is paid by non-residents as well as residents. Certain necessities of life, including purchases of food or medicine, are exempt from the tax. The City Council and staff estimate the one-half of one percent tax increase would result in additional revenue to the City of St. Helena of approximately $1.4 million annually with no sunset provision. Because this measure does not legally restrict the use of tax revenue to any specific purposes, it is classified as a “general tax,” not a “special tax.” The tax proceeds may be used for any valid municipal government purpose, including but not limited to local street maintenance, 911 emergency medical, police and fire response, pedestrian/cyclist/traffic safety, park maintenance, library services, programs for youth and seniors, and to preserve the City’s long-term financial stability. A “Yes” vote is a vote in favor of the tax. A “No” vote is a vote against the tax. This measure will be approved if it receives a simple majority of “Yes” votes.[2] |
” |
| —St. Helena City Attorney[1] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of St. Helena, California.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms St. Helena Local sales tax St. Helena, California, Sales Tax, Measure D (November 2016). These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- [ Napa County Elections Office website]
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Voter's Edge, "City of St. Helena Measure D," accessed November 16, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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