Locals will pay bulk of any sales tax increase

Apr 23, 2026 2 min read

To the editor:

Lee County Commissioners are currently discussing the implementation of a 1 cent sales tax to address their road infrastructure funding shortfall. This problem has arisen because, instead of raising impact fees for developers, the county opted to keep those fees low. As a result, they now need to find different revenue sources to make up for the deficit.

Commissioner Pendergrass, during his election campaign, promised not to raise taxes. His approach to generating more revenue was to increase the county’s population by encouraging development. To do this, impact fees for developers were lowered. While this led to increased construction and more residents, it also meant that the costs associated with maintaining infrastructure were not adequately covered. Previously, when developers paid higher impact fees, the upkeep and funding for infrastructure were managed effectively.

There is also discussion about eliminating property taxes. If this happens, it raises the question of where the necessary funds will come from to compensate for the revenue loss. The likely scenario is an increase in sales taxes, as the county will need to generate funds from somewhere — and ultimately, it is the residents who will bear this cost.

Some local politicians believe that raising sales taxes will allow the county to collect enough revenue from seasonal residents, often referred to as “snowbirds.” However, this overlooks the fact that local residents live in the area year-round, whereas snowbirds are present for only three or four months each year. Therefore, the majority of the sales tax burden falls on the local.

The proposed sales tax is unfortunate because it also disproportionately affects lower-income individuals more than those who are well-off. Sales tax is considered a regressive tax, meaning it takes a larger percentage of income from those with less.

At least, the county has not yet suggested applying the sales tax to groceries, as is the case in several other states.

Lou Walker

Cape Coral