Letter to the editor — In favor of sales tax

Published 11:11 am Monday, March 2, 2020

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This past weekend, I voted for the quarter-cent sales tax to raise our teacher’s salaries in Forsyth County. Every year, the county hemorrhages good, high-quality teachers to our fellow metro neighbors that offer higher salaries through their local supplements. Obtaining and retaining the best teachers must be a priority for our community. With two small kids, I hope for the next generation of great teachers to be ready in our schools to care for and teach them.

This quarter-cent sales tax provides an enormous budgetary bang for the buck. Paired with a 1% decrease in the county property taxes, the sales taxes is expected to generate three times as much revenue ($13 million vs. $3.7 million). That’s a huge impact for such a small change. At 0.25%, you don’t pay an extra dollar until your bill reaches $400. And plenty of items are excluded. The burden may be small, but the impact will be huge for our teachers, our students, and our county.

I encourage everyone to vote In the primary and to vote for the sales tax to help our teachers.

— Adam Corey
Clemmons