Reader: “Tax Will Affect Every Searcy Citizen–Already Has.”

Letter to the Editor

“Dear Editor,

Proponents of the Searcy A&P Tax keep saying, “Locals are not affected by the lodging portion of the tax” … but it’s not true. Rooms that are rented out as meeting places or for parties will also be included. How many local civic organizations meet in rented spaces?  How many awards banquets and birthday parties are held in such facilities?

And don’t forget that the food portion of the tax doesn’t just apply to meals eaten in restaurants … it would also be added on to a bucket of fried chicken from Wal-Mart or a roasted chicken from the grocery store — as well as donuts or a birthday cake from the bakery, burritos or nachos from the gas station, burgers and fries from McDonald’s drive-thru, and the pizza that gets delivered to your door.

City officials seem to be shrugging off the fact that the tax should never have been collected in the first place. Once citizens called for a referendum, and turned in petitions, the tax should have been set aside immediately, until the election results were in, without collecting one single red cent. If this tax gets defeated in April, as I sincerely hope it will, that money needs to be returned to the taxpayers. Finding a fair and equitable solution to THAT problem will not be an easy chore.

Contrary to what some folks are saying, this tax will most definitely affect every citizen in Searcy.  In fact, it already has.”

Suzan Kaye of Mountain Home