Measure Z is a tax of one-tenth of one percent on the purchase of goods. So if you go to a restaurant and spend $20 on lunch for you and a companion, you will be spending an extra 2 cents for the zoo. Not much of a tax is it?
Assume you eat out every day for lunch. After a week, your Measure Z tax is a whopping 10 cents. Wow!
It's not material is it? Not to you, but it is to the zoo. (I'll explain later.)
You have a few people who say, "I won't vote for a tax for anything." I guess that's a "principled" position to take. But I'm not sure it's the best principle to hold.
If you pay too much in taxes, focus your efforts on the wasted tax dollars, or on inefficient tax dollars. Encourage elected officials to make cuts that are meaningful.
Don't waste your time on defeating a 2 cent tax on your $20 lunch. You are just spiting yourself.
Those 2 cents make a big difference in our community. The cents add up to dollars and over a period of 10 years, we can generate millions of dollars for the zoo. Those dollars create exhibits such as Sea Lion Cove. https://www.fresnochaffeezoo.org/whats-new.html Just last month, Sea Lion Cove won the nation's top award for new zoo exhibits, beating out the San Diego Zoo, the Smithsonian and Sea World. http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/09/17/4128728/fresno-zoos-sea-lion-cove-gets.html
Sea Lion Cove isn't the only new exhibit. Look at the River Otters, the King Cobra, the Komodo Dragon, Dino-Dig and others.
Fresno is creating a world-class zoo. But it needs continued support. The end of Measure Z will signal the end of expansion and development. It will signal higher entry fees. It will stop us from creating one of the best zoos in the nation, right here in our backyard.
Isn't it worth an extra 2 cents? YES. That's my 2 cents.
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