Sales Tax Hike On Ballot In Lebanon Again

Voters in Lebanon are again considering whether to raise the sales tax to the state maximum. The referendum is the only item on Tuesday’s ballot.

A similar proposal failed last year. And just last month, voters said no to a sales tax hike that would have applied to all of Wilson County. That measure didn’t just lose the countywide vote, it lost at every Lebanon precinct.

But Mayor Philip Craighead says the city has to find new revenue if it’s going to keep up with needs like building a new firehall, repairing sidewalks and repaving roads. The city council says they’ll compensate for any hike by trimming property tax. Craighead says that means the burden of a higher sales tax would be carried by shoppers who live somewhere else.

Credit: Blake Farmer/WPLN

Craighead says out-of-towners are responsible for about 65% of purchases made in the city.

The matter may be decided by relatively few people. Only 5 percent of registered voters showed up to cast an early ballot.

The sales tax in Lebanon is currently 9-and-a-quarter percent. If the increase is approved, it would be 9-point-7-5 percent.