Internet sales tax issue added to Ozark County ballot

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Ozark County residents will be asked to vote on an internet use or sales tax issue when they go to the polls for the April 7 general municipal election.The Ozark County Times reports at a meeting earlier this month, the Ozark County commissioners voted to place the measure on the ballot. Approving the measure would allow the county to collect on internet sales the same 2% sales tax now collected on purchases made at brick-and-mortar businesses in Ozark County.Commissioners note 1% of the county’s sales tax goes to the general revenue fund, .5% goes to the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department and .5% goes to the county’s road and bridge fund. The commissioners say an additional .5% sales tax collected by the Ozark County Ambulance District on local purchases would not be included in the online use tax.

Western Commissioner Greg Donley says, “I think one of the reasons our county is doing so good is how good people have been to vote for these sales taxes when we need them.” Donley adds this would likely be the last additional tax to be put on a ballot for years to come.

Collection of the tax would be handled by the Missouri Department of Revenue, which would then remit the funds to Ozark County. If the measure passes, the tax would be collected starting in July, and Ozark County would start receiving funds in October.

While the commissioners say they have no way of estimating how much revenue the tax would generate, they point to Howell County, which has already passed an online use tax and has seen a significant increase in revenue. Although many factors affect the county’s revenue, including such things as business lost due to the 2017 flooding, the commissioners have long suspected the increasing popularity of online shopping has hurt the county;s bottom line.

“This is the future,” says Donley, referring to internet shopping. “That’s the way the world is going, and we aren’t going to change it.”

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