Knoxville voters are set to approve or reject a half-cent increase to the city’s sales tax on the November general election ballot.
In May, Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon (pictured above) proposed that the city’s sales tax – with the exception of groceries – be raised in order to fund “affordable housing,” sidewalks, parks, and other projects.
The mayor presented her proposal to the Knoxville City Council, which voted last month to approve putting the Local Option Sales Tax referendum on the November ballot.
“I really appreciate Council’s support. By committing to residents exactly how the new revenue would be allocated, Council district by Council district, we are ensuring complete accountability and transparency,” Kincannon said in a statement.
A half-cent increase to the city’s local sales tax, which currently stands at 2.25 percent, would raise the rate to 2.75 percent.
Coupled with the state’s base sales tax rate of 7 percent, Knoxville’s total sales tax rate under the mayor’s proposal would be 9.75 percent.
With the projected $47 million in annual funds anticipated to be generated by a half-cent increase to the city’s sales tax, the mayor said her “Neighborhood Investment Plan” would be used to fund the following every year:
- $7.5 million for Sidewalks;
- $10 million for Parks;
- $8 million for Greenways;
- $5 million for Facilities;
- $4 million for Road Paving;
- $2.5 million for Neighborhood Traffic Calming & Safety Projects; and
- $10 million for Affordable Housing
The mayor’s office highlights the proposal’s structure to “more than double” the City’s support for “affordable housing,” pointing to how the plan will fund 1000 additional housing units across the city within the next five years.
Kincannon previously argued that Knoxville needs to generate more local revenue to meet the growing needs of its infrastructure and community, noting that both the city’s population and tourism are “skyrocketing.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Image “Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon” by Mayor Indya Kincannon.
There isn’t a tax that Democrats don’t like and coupled with the fact that Kincannon is a Democrat are two reasons to vote against her in the next election. Tennessee needs to make Democrats an endangered species, politically speaking of course.
Reject the Tax increase. Democrats and RINO’s will always find more ways to spend your money with minimal return on your investment.