Wayne Rowe

Minot

According to discussions of the Mayor and City Council reported by the newspaper – Sales Tax has become an issue.

This issue goes hand in hand with a previous letter I submitted. It is very difficult to start a business in North Dakota.

To take it one step further Minot has no significant way of gaining sales tax except through the operation of business.

Anyone that has listened to the news in the last year has heard the term – Retail Apocalypse. Walk through the mall and count the closed stores.

Guess what, residents of Minot. Online shopping is wonderful, you don’t have to go anywhere and the items purchased get delivered to your door. But, as the trend goes shopping online is causing stores to close, people become unemployed and worse.

The worse – your city begins to feel the pinch from a revenue stream that is experiencing a continued decrease. So what does the city do? Consider ways of making up the short fall. I am no expert but the only way the City can make up the short fall without also causing more issues is (drum roll please) to raise property tax.

Minot needs you to spend your money in town. Plain and simple folks. They promote buy American … no that isn’t cutting it in smalltown Minot. Help your city, buy local. Shop the stores downtown and in the mall.