Bay St. Louis to Vote on Proposed 2% Food and Beverage Sales Tax Increase Tuesday

The clock is ticking down as Bay St. Louis residents prepare to head to the polls Tuesday to vote on a referendum. City officials proposed the increase to help raise money for parks and recreation facilities and tourism throughout Bay St. Louis. If the measure passes, it will primarily affect bars and restaurant sales in the city, so, if you buy a cup of coffee for three-dollars, and the food and beverage tax increase passes, you will pay about six-cents extra in tax.

We caught up with Bay St. Louis Mayor Mike Favre who says he supports the measure and sees it as a long-term investment not only in tourism, parks and recreation, but also in local youth.

“The most important thing is having people come out to vote, to help support the two-percent sales tax increase on December 17th . It’s a vote for our children. It gives them an opportunity to grow, to have things to do. Hopefully, it will keep them off the streets, and keep them out of trouble,” Mayor Favre said.

While some Bay St. Louis business owners say they support the measure, others have expressed concerns over just how the two-percent sales tax increase will affect their business.

It will take at least 60-percent of Tuesday’s vote to pass.
Polls open at 7 am and close at 7 pm.

Tune into news 25 tomorrow for the latest information on this vote.