Cobb Government Leaders Considering New Sales Tax

Last month, Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee said he would like to see the November general election feature county residents voting on another 1-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

The current SPLOST expires on Dec. 31, 2015, and Lee said holding a referendum during a general election makes the most financial sense if the county hopes to extend the tax for another four years uninterrupted.

Lee has now said that Cobb leaders are considering a new Homestead Option Sales Tax (HOST) to help pay for an estimated $1.4 billion in capital needs over the next decade.

The HOST, which would be asked of county voters to approve in November 2016, would be a 1 percent sales tax on everything sold in Cobb.

It would eliminate the part of many homeowners’ property tax bills that are directed to Cobb’s general fund.

According to The Marietta Daily Journal, if he can gain support from the county commissioners, Lee hopes by this summer “to move forward with a HOST proposal in order to ask Cobb’s legislation delegation to pass a bill allowing the county to hold a referendum in November 2016.”

Read more from the MDJ here.

What do you think, would you like to see a HOST referendum on the ballot in 2016? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.