Look back at Measure V, phone tax to pay for general services

San Mateo County Election/Smart Voter 11/5/13, "Measure V Utility Tax, City of Pacifica."

Measure V, majority approval required.  Official results 1/15/14:  34.1% yes, 65.9% no.  Measure failed.

What, another tax in lieu of
city economic development-- again!

The measure. "Without raising the current 6.5% rate, and to fund fire protection; emergency services; police protection; Meals on Wheels and other senior citizen services; street, sidewalk and pothole repair; and other essential services, shall an ordinance be adopted to amend the City of Pacifica's Utility Users Tax adding telecommunications services, requiring equal treatment regardless of technology used, maintaining senior exemptions and adding independent citizens oversight, with all funds staying in Pacifica and no funds for Sacramento?"

Impartial analysis.  "State law authorizes the City Council of the City of Pacifica to levy a Utility Users' Tax ("UUT") on the users of utilities in the City if the ordinance proposing the tax is approved by a two-thirds vote of all members of the City Council and the tax is approved by a majority vote of the City's voters. On July 8, 2013, the City Council by unanimous vote approved an ordinance to amend the Pacifica Municipal Code to establish a UUT on telecommunications services in the City for a period of eight years to raise revenue for general City purposes.

....As proposed by Measure V, the UUT on telecommunications services will include the following tax rate, exemption and cap on certain users: 6.5% tax rate; an exemption for senior citizens (residential service users who have reached the age of 62); and a $500 cap for business service users."

For arguments for and against Measure V, rebuttals, and full text, see the link above.      Note photograph from the Accounting Today website. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh