Carmel residents to vote on sales tax increase
CARMEL, Calif. (KION) Carmel-by-the-Sea is putting a sales tax increase on the ballot for March 3rd.
If voters pass the measure, they’ll be paying a little more when checking out at shops in Carmel. But voters aren’t necessarily on board with the idea.
In 2012, Carmel voters passed a 1% local sales tax for the city. But this new increase would bump that up to 1.5% for the next 20 years.
Local residents and others who regularly spend money in Carmel said they would not support the increase.
“There’s plenty of things that are not getting fixed already,” Monterey resident Daniel Gross said. “And we already have very high taxes as it is, and I don’t see that tax money going to use in the public areas, per say. So no, I would not vote for a rise in the taxes.”
Carmel resident Barbara Sedelmeyer said she would not vote in favor of the measure, but she would understand if it passed anyway.
“We do live in paradise,” Sedelmeyer said. “We moved here 4 years ago and it’s heaven. So, I don’t know. I guess every place that’s heaven is a little expensive.”
The city said it would use the additional funds for things like park and beach maintenance, public safety and pension costs. Combined with state and county taxes, the total sales tax people would see at the checkout counter is 9.25%.
