LA County moves to raise sales tax by 0.5 cents to fund homeless services

A proposal to increase sales tax in Los Angeles County may be put to a vote in the upcoming November election. If passed, the tax hike, aimed at funding homeless services, could push sales tax rates to nearly 10% or higher in some cities.

According to the LA County Clerk’s Office, over 410,000 signatures have been collected to place the sales tax increase on the November ballot, surpassing the required 238,922 valid signatures needed for the measure.

Once the validity of the signatures is confirmed, the LA County Board of Supervisors will review the proposal. The board will then decide whether to place the measure on the November ballot or to enact the tax increase without a public vote.

The proposed measure includes repealing the existing Measure H and raising the sales tax by 0.50 cents.

Measure H, which was passed in 2017, increased the sales tax by 0.25 cents to fund homeless services and was set to expire in 2027. If the new measure is approved, it would effectively raise the current tax rate by an additional 0.25 cents.

BY YEOL JANG, YOUNGNAM KIM [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]