Vote against sales tax for UA System school

As a founding member of the Citizens Against Unfair Taxes, I feel obliged to say we are not against higher education and wholeheartedly support higher education as long as the resources aren’t wasted. College costs on a whole have doubled since 2000, outpacing inflation by a factor of two. Administrative bloat, gold-plated facilities and cheap student loan money have given the college system a blank check to spend money without concern for cost. The overtaxed citizens of Sebastian County do not need to pay for bloated salaries and wasteful expenditures.

Ask yourself why UAFS is the only four-year college in the UA System supported by local taxes?

The original tax was supposed to allow Westark College to transition to a four-year college and by the time this proposed “temporary” tax expires it will be 30 years?

Attendance is down 23% from 2010. Wouldn’t they need less money? Perhaps the money is being spent poorly.

Arkansas is already tax uncompetitive with our neighboring states and high sales taxes are a primary component of that equation. When you add in the high water/sewer bills and millage increases, it adds up to a regressive tax on the citizens who can least afford it.

MARK MCCOURT Fort Smith