SCS/SB 534 - This act allows the governing body of an ambulance or a fire protection district to impose an up to one- half of one percent sales tax on all retail sales within the district following voters' approval.

The Department of Revenue will collect and distribute the revenue from the district sales tax monthly at the cost of one percent the total revenue collected. After collecting and distributing the sales tax, the board of the ambulance or fire protection district will determine its budget for the year and determine the amount of property tax necessary to fund the district. The district may then reduce the tax rate by an amount which reduces the property tax revenue by an amount equal to fifty percent of the previous fiscal year's sales tax receipts.

When the governing body of the ambulance or fire protection district receives a petition signed by at least twenty percent of the qualified voters that voted in the last gubernatorial election, calling for an election to repeal the sales tax, the governing body will submit the question to the voters.

Following the election to repeal the sales tax, the governing body of the district may decide whether or not the tax rate should be increased within the level of the tax rate ceiling. If the governing body of the district wishes to increase the tax rate beyond the tax rate ceiling, they will have to submit it for voters' approval.
JULIA SOMMER GRUS