Did you know . . .
that most regions have a transit sales tax?
Most major metropolitan areas have a local/regional sales tax dedicated to public transit, often 1/2% or 1%, including Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Boston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Indianapolis, San Antonio, El Paso, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Jacksonville, and Washington DC.
Some metro areas have (in addition or in place) a local gas tax, vehicle registration fees, rental car fees, real estate taxes, cigarette, alcohol, or other local taxes.
Detroit is the only major city that funds transit with regular city taxes through the general city budget.
Also, while several cities add a property tax to their sales tax (like Atlanta, San Francisco, Indianapolis, and Las Vegas), no other major metro area uses just property tax like SMART does.
We need the legislature to pass local funding options like a regional sales tax. That’s the only way to prevent future transit service cuts and fare increases, and to ensure rapid transit development!