In a citywide special election, Little Rock residents voted against a 1 percentage-point sales-tax increase Sept. 14 by a sizeable margin, according to unofficial results from the Pulaski County Election Commission.
The tax increase, which was championed by Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., was estimated to generate $530 million in new revenue for the city over the next 10 years, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
"Little Rock voters yesterday said NO to a tax increase. Arkansans want to keep their hard-earned money," the Republican Party of Arkansas said in a Sept. 15 Facebook post.
While the new tax proposal was rejected, a separate city sales tax of 0.375% was originally approved in 2011 and designed to fund capital improvements. However, this tax rate will expire at the end of this year. With the failure of the new proposed tax increase, the sales tax rate in Little Rock is on track to drop to 8.625%, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
The unofficial results mean an unfavorable loss for Scott and his proposed tax increases that would supposedly increase the city's quality of life through taxpayer money channeled into parks, the Little Rock Zoo, infrastructure, economic development and early-childhood education, according to Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
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