The president of the Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce says a local sales tax option could help the region recover from a brutal economy.
Jared Arnett says the elimination of jobs and corresponding loss of tax revenues has put the communities he represents at a severe disadvantage.
Arnett testified last week before the House State Government Committee. Kentucky lawmakers are considering placement of a constitutional amendment on the fall ballot that would enable city and county governments to ask their voters to approve a sales tax to fund local capital projects.
Jared Arnett says the eight counties that make up the southeast chamber have lost 47 percent of their coal jobs in recent years and coal severance tax collections have plummeted as well. He says if local governments had a chance to raise revenues for capital projects that generate employment, the situation might change.
