MILL CREEK, Wash. — Soon Mill Creek will have the highest sales tax in the state. Right now Mill Creek has the same sales tax rate as Seattle, 9.6 percent. In April, the sales tax in Mill Creek will jump to 9.9 percent.
Voters narrowly approved the 0.3 percent increase to fund Community Transit bus service. Other cities in South Snohomish County will also see an increase to 9.8 percent -- Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Edmonds, Brier and North Bothell.
Mill Creek residents aren't looking forward to the tax jump.
"I'm tired of the taxes going up. Every time I turn around something is going up," said Pete Down as he left the grocery store in Mill Creek on Monday.
Katie LeMaire thinks she might try to avoid the increase. "I might be more prone to shop in other areas if it's more expensive here," said LeMaire.
KIRO-7 contacted the city of Mill Creek for comment. "The voters made this decision, this service was important enough for them to approve an increase in the sales tax to support the services they wanted," said Kelly Chelin, director of public information
Voters will likely be asked for another sales tax increase to fund Sound Transit 3, which could be on the ballot in November.
"I think it's too high," add LeMaire. I wouldn't want it to increase anything else."
Cox Media Group
