Supporters of the controversial meals tax that will appear on Durham’s Nov. 4 ballot acknowledge it will be a tough sell. To that end, they’re trying to raise money to persuade people to vote for it. At least it’s private money they’re seeking.
If this story is an indication of their argument, I’m not so sure it’s enough to convince people to pay more for the same meal. Tax advocates should remember that when you tax something, you get less of it. In this case, “it” is eating out at Durham restaurants. From the Herald-Sun (emphasis is mine):
The effort has already yielded donation pledges of $16,000 from area businesses, said Bill Kalkhof, president of Downtown Durham Inc.
Kalkhof is part of a group of community leaders promoting the tax. They’ve stepped in because state law bars the city and county governments from spending money to advocate the levy’s passage.
The campaign is likely to mirror past efforts to line up support for school bonds, Kalkhof said.
In those campaigns, “we’ve found it takes about $40,000 to get the message out, so that’s our goal,” he said. “We’ve contacted business-community leaders who believe in making Durham a more special place and we’ll keep asking folks until we raise the necessary funding.”
