Stop Unfair Sales Tax on Local Food and Local Restaurants
The Cascade Locks City Council is proposing a 7% prepared food and beverage sales tax to fund local emergency services, aiming for a vote on the November 2026 ballot. The tax would apply to prepared food from restaurants, bars, and caterers.
Why a meals tax is harmful to our community:
A Sales Tax on Meals Will Impact Residents
Residents will pay the sales tax on meals every time they
go out to eat with friends and family unless they choose to stop patronizing local restaurants in favor of establishments outside the city limits.
A Sales Tax on Meals is Unpredictable
A sales tax on meals is not a predictable, steady stream of income to pay for emergency services. During an economic downturn, sales will decline and so will funding for emergency services.
A Sales Tax on Meals Takes Money from Restaurant Workers
Servers, baristas and waitstaff who relay on tips from
customers will now find those tips in decline as customers
have to deal with an additional 7% sales tax on their meals.
Faced with deciding how much to tip their server, customers
will now have to factor in the added seven percent more they are paying without receiving anything additional.
A Sales Tax on Meals is Unfair
Picking on a single industry and asking them to shoulder the burden for the entire community is unfair. The services the city is asking restaurant goers to pay for will benefit the everyone. A 7% sales tax on meals is like asking one neighborhood to pay property taxes for the rest of the city.
How to stop this tax:
Attend a City Council Meeting
The Cascade Locks City Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers at 140 SW WaNaPa St.
Contact City Council Members
Reach out to City Council members by phone or email to express your objections to a sales tax on meals purchased in Cascade Locks.
Spread the Word by Posting a Sign
Let your friends and neighbors know you are against the proposed sales tax on meals by printing and posting a sign in your window or yard.
Vote NO in the November Election