County administrator addresses sales tax misinformation

By Matt Freeze —

While media and discussion circulated online from some area news outlets that there would be a 1% sales tax increase in Tioga County following action taken at an Aug. 21 meeting, legislators merely extended a now 10-year-old increase, as they have done every two years since.

“This is an extension of an already standing resolution from 2015 that authorized an additional 1% of sales tax to be imposed by the county through NYS legislation,” County Administrator Jackson Bailey said. “At that time, through 2017, it has been extended every two years ever since, while also keeping the same rate.”

Bailey said this is a standard practice that the majority of the counties across the state have enacted as well.

“A portion of the amount (of sales tax) the county has taken in from the extender is specifically earmarked for capital equipment and infrastructure improvements and has allowed the county to move forward on capital projects and equipment upgrades without additional burden to taxpayers,” he said.

This has allowed legislators to avoid raising the tax levy or issuing bonds for projects, he said.

“The interview and article that were presented following the work session made it appear that the county was increasing the already existing sales tax rate, and that is not true,” Bailey said.

Earlier Friday, Tioga County issued a press release correcting the misinformation that had been circulating since the night before.

In that release, Bailey called the Legislature’s vote “routine,” and said it has “long been a customary practice, ensuring that dollars spent in Tioga County remain local and are reinvested into services that directly benefit residents.”

Bailey also said receipt of sales tax revenue is “critical for maintaining our roads, purchasing capital equipment, and providing essential services for our residents.”