Chamber gets on board

Pioneer Press Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:55:53 -0700
St. Paul Chamber backs half-cent sales tax boost

What might seem like an unholy alliance was made official Wednesday: The St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce declared it was open to a metrowide sales tax. Moreover, four of five members of the state's Senate Transportation Committee who attended the chamber luncheon said they, too, backed the half-cent sales tax. It's considered a key component to fund a light-rail train connecting St. Paul and Minneapolis. The tax could raise $220 million annually, half of it to be spent on mass-transit projects. A quarter of the total amount would go toward roads, and the rest would be for other transportation needs. The concept mirrors what cities across the country have imposed to adequately pay for "vibrant transit systems," said Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis. "What you get back ... is many times more than what you put in." Consumers who spend their money in St. Paul would pay a 7.5 percent tax. The new tax would collect an additional 50 cents on every $100 purchase. "If that's what people up here in St. Paul want to do, have at it," said Sen. Dick Day, R-Owatonna. He added that he did not support the proposed Central Corridor light-rail line along University Avenue, in part because of its above-ground design. ... But the shift in attitude from the chamber, which historically has opposed the tax, could signal a sea change in the broader business community. "Most of our members recognize they don't wake up in the morning wanting to tax themselves," said Kris Johnson, the chamber's president, after the event. "But they also recognize they have a responsibility to be part of the solution. Their employees are stuck in traffic, or it takes them longer to get a product to market, and that costs them money, too."

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]