Prepared Food and Beverage Tax Vote

Pascagoula voters decide today whether to add a two percent restaurant tax that would fund city-wide recreation.
The tax would be on prepared food and beverages throughout the city and the collection would help repay a recreation bond the city is eligible for.
The plan is to upgrade existing buildings and ball fields throughout the city making sure they are up to date with the American’s with Disabilities Act. The tax will also support all types of recreation, including walking trails.
Those who support the tax say the community could use the facelift. Those against it say restaurants in Pascagoula are already hurting without the tax.
Jason Williams supports the prepared food and beverage tax. He said, “I’m for it. I believe anything we can do to help our youth is a good thing in our community. The community needs a little spark. I believe this will give it the spark it needs to improve facilities and hopefully bring in people from out of town.”
Terry Davis is against the prepared food and beverage tax. He said, “We don’t have that many restaurants in Pascagoula to begin with and if you’re going to add two percent on top of it, we might as well keep doing what we are doing and that’s going over to Mobile or D’Iberville or Ocean Springs.”
If the tax passes today, it is expected to generate over $4 million.