The Polk County Commission will have two propositions on the ballot in November.

Proposition 1 is the Use Tax Issue. The Use tax is a tax on the purchase of goods by Missouri residents from out-of-state vendors. It is a vital source of revenue that our county is currently missing out on. Collection and enforcement of Use Tax provides fair competition between out- of-state vendors and local businesses. Local businesses must charge and collect a local sales tax on all sales, but out-of-state online businesses are not required to. The out-of-state online vendors are benefiting from this and taking potential tax dollars away from our communities. As inflation and wages have risen, compensating measures must be taken to ensure our county services are protected from budget restraints. The Use Tax can compensate for money lost and help provide vital services to the county including public safety, emergency equipment and repairs and upkeep of county roads and bridges. If this measure passes, we estimate it to bring in around $600,000.00 to the county per year. These funds would help to offset the current transfer of funds from the General Revenue Fund to the Law Enforcement Sales Tax fund for the operations of the Sheriff’s Department, Jail, the Prosecuting Attorney’ office, the Juvenile Detention’s Office, and Coroner’s office.