Memphis voters will decide in November if they want to pay higher taxes to make up for a loss in federal pre-kindergarten funding — despite a state comptroller’s report that the programs have no lasting benefits.
With support from the Memphis City Council and the Greater Memphis Chamber, the public relations firm Sutton Reid is overseeing an advertising campaign designed to convince voters to support a sales tax increase.
If voters approve the measure, Memphis residents will pay a half a percentage point increase in sales taxes on non-food purchases, from 9.25 percent to 9.75 percent, said Sutton Reid representative Steven Reid.
City leaders say raising the sales tax to 9.75 percent will raise around $47 million dollars, with the money generated going towards funding a citywide universal pre-kindergarten program and lower property tax rates.
The voters should vote yes o this tax raise. Even though it is costing people money, don't just think about now. Think about how having an early start on education will affect those kids later in life. If the Pre-K tax raise is approved this will be the best thing that could happen for this city. A majority of children who drop out of school had no early start on education. Many children drop out of school because they think they can't succeed because the work is too hard. If every four-year old is able to attend Pre-K imagine what long term affects that will have within fourteen years. Many people have no hope for society because of the actions of our teens today, if you want hope then it would be in society's best interest to vote yes.
