The sales tax in Eureka is extremely high at 10.25%. What would need to happen for you to support/push for lowering the Eureka sales tax?

— A Concerned and Broke Voter

Response

G. Mario Fernandez

You’re right — sales tax in Eureka is high in comparison to the rest of our region — and it is regressive placing a higher burden on working class families and folks on fixed incomes; however, I would be apprehensive if not reluctant to support lowering our local sales tax outright.

A a decreased in the tax rate would mean a reduction in our general fund and city services. Our city, for us, our general fund is how we pay for our city operations and programs — fire and police departments, maintenance and repairs, UpLift and CARE, etc.

Of 7.25% California sales tax we receive back approximately 1% to the city of Eureka. With Eureka’s Measure D (2008) and Measure H (2020) that’s an additional 1.5% we keep local, and with the county’s Measure Z and Measure O that’s the remaining 1.5% (largely for county run programs). One solution to keep our sales tax from increasing would be to advocate for a better disbursement of the 1% from state taxes (upwards of $9 billion from around the state) for what we spend through online sales.

Granted, this would be a hell of a fight at the state level, but for us in these remote and isolated parts of California we damn well deserve the money that is collected from us. 

 

Are you a candidate? Log in here.

... or post a press release.