Well-Managed Cities Avoid Raising Their Sales Tax Rates

Commentary
It’s Christmas season, a time when retailers enjoy a peak season as they meet the holiday demand. As California has the highest base sales tax rate in the nation, it would be interesting to look at one of its most populated counties and then focus on some of its 34 cities.
In 2023, Orange County saw $87.3 billion in taxable sales. The sales taxes generated helped partially fund its cities and its transportation authority, which operates its bus services and a good portion of the major road construction projects.
The chart below provides the county’s 34 cities, the taxable sales generated within their borders for the year 2023, and their financial status rankings for the same year….