Pierce County Council passes sales tax hike for affordable housing
Pierce County residents will soon fund development of affordable housing for low-income households following the passage of a 0.1% sales tax increase by the Pierce County Council on Tuesday.
The county expects the tax to raise about $20 million per year for housing and related services. Its Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness estimates it will cost about $40 million per year to fund a homeless crisis response system and another $117 million a year to fully fund the system within the next five years.
The Washington state Legislature granted authority for local governments to adopt a sales tax to fund affordable housing in 2020. Several governments in the Puget Sound area have already done so, including Tacoma and King County.
Pierce County's tax will be implemented under the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act, named for an affordable housing advocate who died in January. July 1 is the earliest the tax can take effect.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2023/03/22/pierce-county-sales-tax-increase-housing.html