To The Editor,

The Warrenton Fire Protection District (WFPD) has proposed a one-half cent sales tax increase to be voted on Aug. 4.

As Chief Hayeslip estimated in his recent letter to our newspaper, the population has increased roughly 57.49 percent since 2000. He also wrote that the last tax increase for the WFPD was in 2001.

A check of Warren County records shows that the 2019 (latest available) revised property valuation for the WFPD has increased $119,827,458, or 78.99 percent, over roughly the identical time period. That is considerably more than the quoted population served increase.

Now lets look at what the proposed sales tax will cost patrons of our local merchants. With a sales tax rate of 6.475 percent on groceries and basic necessities, an additional half cent is a 7.7 percent tax increase to provide for our families.

Most items purchased at Walmart (9.475 percent current sales tax) with that extra half cent will cost consumers 5.3 percent higher taxes.

Topping the sales tax at 10.475 percent is the taxing district that Rural King is in. That half cent would be a 4.8 percent increase in tax amount for RK customers.

I would like to urge folks to take a look at their merchant receipts and see how much thinner their wallet will be with another tax increase. This increase will be particularly inconvenient for the elderly on fixed income and those families with a number of members. Please think about it voters.

Paul Brautigam

Warrenton