Half Moon Bay passes half-cent sales tax

Only 2 cents more for this coffee

Expected tax revenue from Half Moon Bay Measure J half cent sales tax is about $867,000 annually over a 3 year duration. The promise from Half Moon Bay city council is that most of the money will be spent on city infrastructure.  Would Pacifica welcome a similar tax?   

Half Moon Bay Review/Mark Noack, 11/15/12.  "Shoppers to see trio of new taxes."  HMB sales tax to jump to 9.5 percent.

Anyone making a purchase in Half Moon Bay should expect the brunt of three new sales surcharges coming from the city, county and state, respectively. A cup of coffee will cost an extra two cents, a sandwich, about a nickel more, and a new car, at least $200 extra. The tax trifecta means that Half Moon Bay now has a 9.5 percent sales tax rate — the highest on the Peninsula and second highest in the state.

Only 5 cents more for this sandwich

....  What will the taxes mean for Half Moon Bay? Charles Nelson, owner of Toque Blanche on Main Street, supports the tax increase. He sees it as a far less disruptive way to generate revenues than the city’s original plan to charge for parking downtown. He pointed out the sales tax rate was 9.25 percent about a year ago, so the higher rate wasn’t too onerous. 

....  Council members have pledged most of the new money will go toward fixing local infrastructure, like roads and sewers. They also promised to use a portion of the money to market the area to boost tourism. ....  This week, city leaders will begin drafting financial plans for the coming fiscal year. The new tax measures will go into effect next year.  Read article. 

Reference - Ballotpedia. "Measure J increased the sales tax paid on the purchase of goods and services in Half Moon Bay by one-half of a cent for 3 years."  54.02% of Half Moon Bay voters voted "yes".

Posted by Kathy Meeh