From the Elkhart Truth:
Leaders in Elkhart County have a lot of things to talk about with state legislators, but at the top of the list are two new taxes — a potential countywide food and beverage tax, as well as a new local option income tax to offset problems stemming from property tax caps.
County commissioner Mike Yoder made a pitch to members of the Elkhart County Council on Saturday, Nov. 2, to gain their support to talk with state lawmakers about sponsoring legislation.
Following in the footsteps of the city of Goshen, county councilman Tom Stump said he would like to explore a food and beverage tax for the county. The city council passed a resolution earlier this year to lobby representatives for a 1 percent tax.
“Historically, the county food and beverage taxes have been tied to a specific capital project,” Goshen mayor Allan Kauffman told the county council. “Allen County, it was the coliseum, and when they paid that off, they transferred it over to the convention center. The ones that have been approved for cities in recent years have been more general, like public safety or economic development or general use, but not tied to capital projects. To my knowledge, this would be the first countywide one that would have a more broad use.”
Yoder said the county needs to begin closing a hefty financial gap that has been created by property tax caps and declining assessed valuations. The caps, also known as the circuit breaker, limit what property owners have to pay in taxes.
It could be 2018 before the county makes a noticeable dent in its shortfall, Yoder warned.
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http://www.ibj.com/article?articleId=44389
