Transit tax to hit South County hard
Extravagant BART bailout would drive Gilroy sales tax over 10%. Plus, does Gilroy even benefit from these vast transit system expenditures?
Many city finance experts view a cumulative 10% sales tax rate as an important threshold signalling excessive taxation and govt overreach.
If the extravagant SB63 regional transit system bailout initiative passes this November, Gilroyeans will join San Jose, Berkeley, Oakland, and Campbell and other high-tax Bay Area cities in the Red Zone. Gilroy current has a 9.750% cumulative sales tax rate; with the passage of SB 63 it would be 10.250%.
Key facts:
VTA , whose buses serve Gilroy, routinely ranks as one of worst-performing US transit agencies. Most experts agree the wasteful system doesn't have a revenue problem, but rather has a serious spending problem, as annual costs surge even as ridership tanks.
Recent data from the city of Gilroy also indicates that only 126 residents use the local Caltrain station. Out of a city of 60,000.
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