The Municipal Home Rule Board on December 1, 2014, approved the City's proposed Ordinance submitted originally under the City's approved Home Rule Application approved on October 6, 2014, to reduce business and occupation tax on certain tax classifications and enact a 1% consumers sales and service tax and a use tax pursuant to W.Va. Code§ 8-1-5a without the limiting restrictions in W.Va. Code§ 8-13C-1 et seq. In accordance with Charles Town's approved Home Rule Plan Application; the City Council hereby finds and declares that the adoption by this City for its consumers sales and service tax and use tax provisions of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended relating to imposition, administration, collection and enforcement of the state consumers sales and service tax codified in W.Va. Code§ 11-15-1 et seq., the state use tax codified in W.Va. Code§ 11-15A-1 et seq., and the streamlined sales and use tax act codified in W.Va. Code§ 11-15B-1 et seq. will:
(a) Simplify collection of the taxes,
(b) Simplify preparation of consumers sales and use tax returns by taxpayers,
(c) Begin and engage a concerted effort and attempt to further reduce B&O taxes by future general ordinance amendment(s), unrelated to reductions specifically required to impose sales tax pursuant toW. Va. Code § 8-1-5A requiring the reduction or elimination of a category or categories of B&O taxes for the purposes of encouraging increased economic competitiveness and generating increased employment opportunities.
(d) Assist with generating additional revenue to alleviate the financial consequences of falling gaming revenues.
(e) Improve enforcement of the City's sales and use taxes.
(Passed 1-20-15.)