Raise in Sales Tax (Birmingham, Huntsville: for sale, income, live)

[promitiusx]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

meh. Take it out of the savings you are getting on health insurance.

Heh, with the amount I shop in Madison I will most likely save more with my decrease in health insurance premiums than this sales tax increase.

[HB2HSV]

You might as well shop in Madison to support our city. Otherwise our property tax will go up.

[Reactionary]

IIRC Madison's property taxes are already among the highest in the State. Getting a reputation as a high tax, anti-business city doesn't sound appealing.

Since Madison's borders are already defined (surrounded) there will be no growth through annexation.

IMO Madison should focus on making itself our own "Tiny Kingdom" - a high value area created through development restrictions - minimum lot size / house size restrictions - to keep the property tax income rolling in (at present millage rates). Madison should encourage businesses to locate in well-defined areas (to build cohesion, reduce sprawl, manage traffic). Madison should develop an area to function as a city center to provide a sense of identity (does downtown give Madison an identity? the depot? Dublin Park? City Hall?). Improving traffic infrastructure is vital; Madison is also small enough (and mostly flat enough) to benefit from a greenway (bike / walk with no at grade road intersections) system to bring people safely into the shopping / entertainment / school areas.

[Maya Blue]

I just know that my $2.00 bagel just went to $2.01. I'm furious!

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by Maya Blue

I just know that my $2.00 bagel just went to $2.01. I'm furious!

Correction. The sales tax went up by1%,

so 1% of $2.00 = $2.02

[Maya Blue]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

Correction. The sales tax went up by1%,

so 1% of $2.00 = $2.02

Well... I was only charged $2.01. So a big win for me. Stick it to the man!

[Reactionary]

Correction - the sales tax went up by 1/2 percent, making it 1% more than Huntsville (it was already 1/2 percent more)...

[elephant08]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

meh. Take it out of the savings you are getting on health insurance.

cheeky!

[elephant08]

Originally Posted by dijkstra

Walmart on 72 is also in Huntsville. If you are a Madison resident, you are probably already doing a lot of your business in Huntsville and it wouldn't be very difficult to take pretty much all of your business there.

Reactionary hit the nail on the head. Madison is well known for not being business friendly and that is why big businesses try to build in the Huntsville city limits. If Madison isn't careful, it is going to find itself in a pretty bad position in the not so distant future as its population ages.

You mean the new walmart? I looked at my receipt and it says Madison.. but the tax was not 9.... odd...I've done a lot of business in Huntsville since we've moved here; I did walk up to the Mayor (at the polls) and let him know that I did most of my shopping in Orlando when I visit my folks. 6%, I'll take it. At least it's not 11% like it is down in AL.... my friend told me that and I went into shock.

[FAL50]

Originally Posted by elephant08

At least it's not 11% like it is down in AL.... my friend told me that and I went into shock.

When I left Belgium for the US in 1990, sales tax in Belgium was 25% for everything.
Except for a car with an engine above 3.0 liter, it was 33%.
Now with the euro disaster, they had to bring it down to 19.25%, but they added just a few extra little taxes so it is again 25%.

I did send the mayor of Madison a letter explaining why I call him a liar.
They always raise the tax supposedly for any new project, but at the end of the project they never lower the taxes again.
So just as any other politician, he is just another paid liar.