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Get ready for sticker shock in Los Angeles County. Starting tomorrow, the sales tax goes up to 9.75 percent.
This will affect everything from your grocery bill to big purchases like cars and electronics. And for some cities like Palmdale and Lancaster, it is even higher.
As of now, the sales tax in LA County is 9.5 percent. That’s going up to 9.75 percent after voters approved Measure A in the November election, which will give more funding to homelessness issues.
The cities of Palmdale and Lancaster currently have a 10.25 percent rate. But tomorrow, that goes up to 11.25, the highest rate in the entire county and the region.
The city of Long Beach is at 10.50 percent, Riverside and Orange counties are at 7.75 percent and Ventura County is at only 7.25 percent.
The reason why there is such a steep gap for Palmdale and Lancaster is because voters in both cities also made their voices heard in the November election. They approved the sales tax going up to keep more dollars to grow and improve local programs, public safety and infrastructure.
The city of Lancaster said in part in a statement that their “’Shop, drive, earn’ economic incentive program is designed to help offset the impact on both shoppers and businesses, especially for larger purchases. This initiative is part of our broader commitment to stimulate economic activity and provide real benefits to our residents.”
However, not everyone is excited about this. Palmdale City Councilmember Andrea Alarcón told NBC4 that she was the only elected official in the Antelope Valley who opposed the sales tax hike.
An op-ed about her decision said in part that “This will disincentivize local buying, hurt local and small businesses, and deter tourism. The people of palmdale cannot afford an additional tax on day-to-day expenses. seniors and those on fixed incomes cannot afford it. I cannot afford it.”
Nonetheless, between the county sales tax going up and their own cities’ sales taxes going up tomorrow, Palmdale and Lancaster will have higher rates than cities like Malibu, Manhattan Beach and Inglewood.
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