Three wins for Ritzville

Were you aware that Ritzville’s largest revenue source is sales tax? Like me, you probably thought that property taxes would be No. 1 on that list, but actually it places a distant second. Also, did you realize that if you buy items on the internet, Ritzville gets the sales tax revenue (Win No. 1)? So shop at home or from home. Either way, Ritzville benefits, and when your town benefits, so do you.

When we realize adequate sales tax revenue, we don’t have to consider raising property taxes (Win No. 2) to cover expenses that have in recent years increased substantially. When your costs increase, ours follow. So not only will our local stores benefit when you buy locally, but your personal budget will benefit as well.

Obviously, Win No. 3 is the benefit to our local businesses when we shop here. Every dollar you spend here will turn over several times (national average is five to seven times) before leaving our town, and every turnover results in sales tax revenue.

This Christmas, why not spend your gift buying and gift card buying dollars locally?

We have great stores in town, and you’ll save the $20 or more in gas that it costs each time you run into Spokane. You can spend that on another sales tax generating gift for someone special.

Mark Weigand, Ritzville