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Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pueblo mayor pitches sales tax increase, changes to half-cent criteria for 2025 ballot
Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham advocated for a grocery tax several months ago, but she acknowledged during a July 21 Pueblo City Council work session that the proposal to generate more revenue has not been popular with city voters. Instead of a grocery tax, Graham is now advocating for a ballot initiative that would increase the city sales and use tax rate from 3.7% to 4.7%. The city estimates a 1% sales tax increase would generate over $26 million annually — more than twice the estimated revenue of a grocery tax. Funds generated by a sales tax increase would alleviate a multi-million dollar budget shortfall while funding city programs, infrastructure maintenance, new amenities, pools, public safety, roads, and "quality of life services," according to a July 21 presentation by Graham and City Attorney Carla Sikes. The sales and use tax rate increase was proposed with another ballot initiative to change the city's half-cent sales tax criteria ordinance, which Graham said could help bring new amenities like a Buc-ees, Costco, or aquatic center to Pueblo. The updated criteria ordinance would add economic catalyst projects, projects to prevent economic leakage, and place-making projects to the list of initiatives eligible for funding through the city's half-cent sales tax. According to Graham and Sikes' presentation, economic catalyst projects are projects that substantially increase city sales tax revenue from "outside dollars"; projects that prevent economic leakage are those that attract businesses that city residents currently leave town to patronize; and place-making projects are those that "improve quality of life" while also bringing in revenue from outside the community. Pueblo City Council previously had the opportunity to enact changes to the criteria ordinance without approval of a ballot initiative on June 23, but rejected it in a 4-3 vote. Dennis Flores, Roger Gomez, Joe Latino and Regina Maestri were the four Pueblo City Council members who voted against changing the half-cent sales tax criteria. "We heard from PEDCO (the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation), our economic development partners, that the criteria ordinance was being changed a little bit too much," Graham told council members. "You wanted to see it go to the vote of the people, so here it is." If approved by city council, the 1% sales tax increase and changes to the half-cent sales tax criteria are scheduled to be on the November 4, 2025, ballot. Council's next regular meeting is on July 28. The Slab reopens: 'The Slab' is back. Here's what to know open the upcoming re-opening ceremony in Pueblo Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Why a sales tax increase could be on the 2025 ballot in Pueblo Solve the daily Crossword
Bloomberg
23-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Malaysia's Anwar Unveils Plan to Help With Rising Living Costs
Malaysia will lower prices of the country's most popular petrol for its citizens, and also give cash handouts to help people deal with the cost of living, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. The package aims to soften the blow from an expanded sales and service tax that took effect July 1. Export-driven Malaysia is also grappling with uncertainty on the trade front, with US President Donald Trump having threatened a 25% tariff on its goods.
CBS News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Alameda County supervisors deciding if tax increase targeted for homelessness can be used elsewhere
In 2020, Alameda County voters thought they were approving a special tax to fight homelessness, but a judge says the county can use the hundreds of millions in sales tax dollars however it wants. Now, the Board of Supervisors is facing pressure to spend the money on what the voters intended. "Measure W was supposed to address homelessness, and we're here today to make sure that the will of the voters is upheld," said Supervisor Nikki Fortunado Bas, as she joined a group of homeless activists Tuesday outside the county administration building in Oakland. Measure W was a half-cent sales tax that, in virtually all of its campaign literature, sounded like funding to help with solutions to the homeless crisis. It barely passed with 50.09% of the vote and got held up in court, but the county continued to collect the tax. Earlier this year, a judge ruled that it was, in fact, a general tax increase and could be spent on anything the county wanted. But that's not going over well with homeless advocates. "Let's let this board know that they're out of line if they let this go another direction," said Rev. Arlington Tugwell, with Faith in Action, East Bay. "Let them know that we are the people that put that in place. Now we're asking them to do what they're supposed to do. We trusted them with it." Tugwell is just one of many who are suspicious of statements from the county that the money could be used for something else. And he's not having it. "We see you. We trusted you," he said. "We want you to honor that trust. And if it is a true rumor, then we want to kill it." The Supervisors were meeting on Tuesday to discuss the use of the money, which over the years has grown to nearly $700 million. The mayors from all 14 cities in the county joined in a letter urging that all of that money go to homelessness services. Outside the board chambers, the advocates offered their suggestions. "Measure W was passed to end homelessness," said Mae Chan, with the Real People's Organizing Collective. "Investing 100% of Measure W funds in housing and care is a win-win for all of us." "I'm proposing we dedicate 90% of Measure W funds towards homelessness solutions," said Fortunado Bas, "and the remaining 10% to critical safety net services, like food assistance, health care, and mental health care." "Voters trusted us with Measure W because they wanted action on homelessness, action," said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. "And so, we urge the county to direct, we say 100%, of course, our supervisors [say] at least 90%" However the supervisors decide to carve up the pie, those who voted for it - and those who have been paying for it - will be watching. Rev. Sophia DeWitt, a member of East Bay Housing Organizations, was reluctant to say she had doubts about the county's intentions. "Uh, I don't want to, I don't want to say that," she said, "But, you know, I also don't know exactly the thinking of every supervisor on the issue." The judge ruled that, despite all the campaign ads that spoke only about homeless funding, the actual ballot language of the measure included the words "and other general fund services," making it a general tax increase. The irony is that if Measure W truly was a tax specifically meant for the homeless, it never would have passed. General tax increases only need a simple majority. A tax for a special purpose requires 2/3 for approval. In that case, it would have gotten trounced.
CNA
09-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
Malaysia to introduce revised sales tax, expand services tax from July 1
KUALA LUMPUR :Malaysia will revise its sales tax rate and also widen the scope of its services tax from July 1, the finance ministry said on Monday. A sales tax rate of 5 per cent to 10 per cent will be imposed on non-essential goods, the ministry said in a statement. The services tax will be expanded to include property rentals or leasing, construction, financial services, private healthcare, education and beauty services, it said.
