Against yet another tax

THE POWERS that currently be, in their wisdom, have put before the voters a 0.25 percent tax to improve and expand bus routes in central Arkansas.

Rock Region Metro wants more money. A lot more money. With this tax its annual budget of $16 million (including $12.5 million a year in subsidies from local governments) would grow by another $18 million, to $34 million.

Is the bus system so overwhelmed that it needs an increase like that? From what we’ve seen on a daily basis by the number of people riding the buses in Little Rock and North Little Rock, the answer is no.

Also, if the cities reduce the amount of funding they are sending the bus system, then this tax amounts to a backdoor way for the cities to increase their own revenue—through yet another regressive sales tax. As if Arkansas voters, who pay the second-highest sales taxes in the nation, need any more of this.

Supporters of the tax say build it and they will come. That is, if taxpayers increase the bus line’s budget, more folks will ride. That sounds like wishful thinking. Because of that, and because of Arkansas’ extraordinarily high sales tax, and because the buses are closer to empty than full, we’d advise voters to cast ballots against this tax.