It was a pretty striking article on the News and Record website this morning.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan was making her pitch for a prepared food tax before a group of restaurant owners. They had no interest in the proposal whatsover. Instead, they told her she should first fix the crime problem we have in Greensboro and the delays in issuing various types of permits. Of course, the local political culture has no interest in doing these things.
Instead, they love building these huge public facilities to draw people to Greensboro to bolster commercial real estate. And they love their identity politics.
After facilities are built, of course, they must be staffed and operated and maintained. Vaughan’s accomplice– Richard Beard from the Greensboro Sports Foundation– says the money from the food tax is needed to maintain these facilities.
Some of us were arguing years ago that these facilities ought not have been approved in the first place because they reflected misplaced priorities and because the costs would come back to bite us. Indeed, they have.
Addendum: John Hammer also has a report on the same topic at the Rhino Times.
Whose idea was this tax in the first place ?
The restaurant owners don’t pay the tax they just collect it from customers.
With inflation putting a pinch on everyone the last thing Greensboro needs is another tax.
This is a Melderec proposal. Put more taxpayer money in the system to support what they are trying to gain from these taxpayer owned facilities.
Vaughn and cohorts view GSO residents as a bottomless fund for financing activists and buying the votes they control.
Preposterous schemes like the “prepared food tax” show the depth of their imagination for hoodwinkery.
“By any means necessary”
I agree, Jaycee. This is a horrible look for Greensboro– a city that is overflowing with revenues from taxes and fees.
Hammer reports that food tax would need the approval of the Legislature or a referendum ( note last two sales tax proposals defeated )
It’s good to know, Fred, that the City Council can’t do it unilaterally.