Daytona Beach Commission To Discuss Proposed Half-Cent Sales Tax Increase

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Daytona Beach, FL - The Daytona Beach City Commission will decide at its Wednesday night meeting whether or not to support Volusia County in putting a half-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot. All 16 Volusia County municipalities must agree to support the resolution in order to put the half-cent sales tax up for a vote. The municipalities must agree on the language of the resolution, and they will be using input from residents in order to write the referendum. If Daytona Beach agrees to support the measure on Wednesday, the measure will be one step closer to moving to the ballot box. The revenue generated by the proposed tax hike would go toward infrastructure projects such as enhancing sidewalks, repairing roads, reducing traffic congestion, alleviating flooding, and improving water quality. According to records from the City of Daytona Beach, if the half-cent sales tax is put on the ballot, and if residents approve it, the revenue share for Daytona Beach could be approximately $3,716,126 annually. For Volusia County, that revenue is estimated to be $45 million annually. Approximately 40% of the proposed sales tax revenue would come from tourists visiting the area. The proposed measure would allocate revenue to each city based on a formula accounting for state statute and population. The Volusia County Council already agreed to support the measure at its January 18 meeting. You can find more on that here. Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2018.