It’s a light November election in Platte County, with only one item on the ballot, and only for Parkville voters.
Parkville officials have discussed a use tax for the past several years, with the decision made earlier this year to finally run the question past voters.
According to Parkville officials, the use tax supports local businesses and the community as a whole by eliminating the advantage out-of-state retailers have over Parkville’s brick and mortar local retailers. A use tax assures out-of-state businesses pay into the tax structure that helps to fund street maintenance, police protection and other city services.
Local retailers pay all other city fees and taxes, such as licenses, sales tax, utility taxes and property taxes. Online and out-of-state retailers do not pay these taxes that support the local community.
Proposition A reads: “Shall the City of Parkville impose a local use tax at the same rate as the total local sales tax rate, provided that if the local sales tax rate is reduced or raised by voter approval, the local use tax rate shall also be reduced or raised by the same action?”
Parkville’s current local sales tax is two percent.
Hundreds of Missouri cities have adopted use taxes in the past few years, including Kansas City, Riverside, Platte Woods, Platte City, Northmoor, Lake Waukomis, Gladstone, Pleasant Valley, Liberty and Smithville.