Orange County commissioners couldn’t decide which measure to put on the May ballot — either the home tax or an increase in the sales tax — but at least one will be put before voters, assuring yet another tax hike for Orange residents since, based on history, the county is dominated by residents who want more and more government-provided services. Predictably, the county will put forth a public relations campaign — officially called a “task force” to “educate the public.” An interesting note: The anti-home tax efforts by the N.C. Association of Realtors has made an impact on Orange Commissioner Barry Jacobs, according to the N&O story:
Board member Barry Jacobs said he wanted to discuss putting both options on the ballot, saying he expected organized opposition to the land transfer tax. He felt the sales tax increase might not be as regressive as Nelson said, in part because it would not apply to food sales.
