WFDD reports on the “grassroots campaign for Guilford County’s proposed 1/4-cent sales tax hike, which is in the November ballot.
If passed, proceeds from the sales tax hike would toward the county’s school system. But advocates are worried that voters will not be aware when they go to the polls:
Guilford County Manager Marty Lawing says on the November 2014 ballot, the referendum’s wording will not specify the purpose for the tax increase. Voters will simply answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ with regards to a tax increase. “Makes it difficult to get it approved,” says Lawing. “That’s why I think only 27 counties have approved the quarter cent sales tax.”
Understanding this, The Quarter Cent For Schools campaign is relying on billboards, yard signs, public speakers and social media to promote their message that all of the money raised by the tax increase will benefit Guilford County’s public schools. On November fourth, voters in five other counties will also see a quarter cent sales tax referendum on their ballot.
Keep in mind, however, that commissioners in those five counties can say all they want that proceeds will go toward schools, but they are not legally bound to do so. If they see fit, the money can go toward “any boondoggle, corporate giveaway, or vanity project deemed worthy.”
