Editor:
The County Commission should stop thinking about adding a sales tax surcharge to pay for ambulance services. Under West Virginia law, county commissions do not have the authority to impose an additional sales tax on top of the state’s 6% sales tax. The power to levy local sales taxes is granted exclusively to municipalities, which can impose up to a 1% local sales tax, resulting in a combined rate of 7% in those areas.
Regarding funding for county-wide ambulance ser-vices, West Virginia Code §7-15-17 permits county commissions to establish a “special emergency ambulance service fee” which can be imposed on users of emergency ambulance services within the county. The collected funds must be allocated exclusively to cover expenses related to providing these services, including costs for buildings and equipment. Several counties in West Virginia have implemented such fees to support their emergency medical services, including Jefferson and Berkeley.
As County Commission president, John Rebinski should do his homework before discussing ideas about raising money for a county-wide ambulance service. At a recent meeting, when discussing a possible sales tax surcharge of one or two percent, he didn’t know how much money might be raised in either case. And he did not know how much money is needed to support the ambulance service in its current or future form.
It may be that an annual fee for county residents is needed to cover fixed costs for buildings, equipment, and personnel for a county-wide ambulance service – in a manner similar to the solid waste fee. And it may be desirable to bill out-of-county visitors on a fee for service basis. But public discussion of such financial matters should start with realistic estimates of the costs involved. Continuing to raid hotel/ motel tax receipts to pay for an ambulance service is not a tenable alternative.
Jay Miller
Hillsboro
Dear Editor,
Donald Trump won the White House by convincing enough ordinary citizens that he would improve their lives. So far, the President’s hatchet man, with reckless disregard, has turned the lives of thousands of ordinary citizens upside down.
What’s more, some of the axed agencies existed to protect ordinary citizens from the excesses of powerful individuals and corporations.
Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cut was a gift to the ultra-rich and corporations. As a result, the U.S. Treasury lost over 100 billion dollars in revenue every year since (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, June 2024). And now the President is slashing programs that help ordinary people.
It’s not right.
Bob Must
Hillsboro
