Your Sales Tax Goes Up Monday

That little pinch you feel is your sales tax going up a notch Monday.

On April 1, the base sales tax in Santa Clara County goes up one eighth of a cent, as a result of the voter-approved Measure A, which was approved by voters on the November 6, 2012 ballot.

The new 0.125 percent sales tax increase means residents see sales tax go up from 8.625 percent to 8.75 percent.

Campbell residents, who already were paying a municipal tax, will see their sales tax go up to 9 percent. According to the city's website, Campbell's tax is made up of four parts:

• Statewide sales tax rate of 6.5 percent
• County transit and transportation of 1 percent
• BART operating and maintenance tax of .125 percent;
• Campbell’s local sales tax rate of 1.25 percent;
• County Retail Transactions Tax of .125 percent.

Measure A was placed on the November ballot by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The tax, which "sunsets" after 10 years, is on top of the quarter-cent increase we voted ourselves as part of Prop. 30 to help the schools, for four years. 

Don't remember? Here's what voters pondered, then passed, a few months ago:

Sales Tax

Shall the County of Santa Clara enact a one-eighth cent sales tax, that cannot be taken by the state, for local priorities such as:

• Law enforcement and public safety
• Trauma and emergency room services
• Health coverage for low-income children
• Economic development and job creation
• Housing for the homeless
• Programs to help students stay in school

for a limited period of ten years, with annual public reports to ensure fiscal accountability?

Want an accounting of the increases over the past 12 months? Well, on Jan. 1, the sales tax just went up 0.25 percent to 8.625 percent, due to voter-approved Proposition 30. And less than a year ago, —less than a penny—with the sales tax jumping from 8.25 percent to 8.375 percent.

For a full listing of sales and use tax rates effective April 1 by county or city, visit the State Board of Equalization.

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