If Durham wishes to become an attractive destination for students, tourists and businesses, the city must improve its cultural and natural amenities. The proposed 1 percent tax on prepared food within Durham County, which appears on this year's ballot, will take a tiny bite out of local pocketbooks and fund a smorgasbord of projects that promise to improve our community's quality of life.
The majority of the revenue generated from the tax will fund projects including a new trail connecting North Carolina Central University to the Hayti Heritage Center (both pillars of Durham's black community); a Parrish Street museum commemorating the city's historic Black Wall Street; and a Minor League Baseball Fan Experience and National Museum on the site of the old Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Continuing the city's recent efforts at downtown revitalization, these projects will all enhance Durham's image and make the Bull City a more pleasant place to live. Best of all, the tax doesn't apply to campus eateries, and the county government estimates that 40 percent of the revenue produced by the tax will come from tourists or commuters from other cities.
Although the tax will generate an estimated $5 million in revenue per year, it will only cost an average Durham family $20 annually.
What's more, the cost to Marketplace or Great Hall-dependent Duke underclassmen will be much less. Deep-pocketed visitors and Chapel Hillians who spend hundreds of dollars at Pop's or The Magnolia Grill will subsidize social projects that we Durhamites will all benefit from.
Also, unlike an increased property tax, the prepared food tax is relatively avoidable for local families. Any Durham resident could avoid paying the tax entirely by eating fresh fruit and vegetables or simply cooking at home.
The tax does raise some questions about the spending and political priorities of Durham's government. These are all worthwhile projects, and Durham should not reject them out of spite; however, should a minor league baseball museum be the county's top priority when the economy is in a recession and the community is underpoliced?
The tax has earned the fierce opposition of many groups because it does not address Durham's most basic needs. Critics are right that this proposal is a sign that local politicians are not spending enough time and effort addressing the needs of Durham's most depressed and least safe neighborhoods.
Some of the amenities that are supported by this tax, such as trails along the Eno River and the Carolina Theatre, are disproportionately enjoyed by the upper middle class. (At the same time, though, the people who visit the Carolina Theatre often eat multi-course dinners at Piedmont or Rue Cler before the show, and thus they also bear a disproportionate burden under the prepared tax.)
Even our neediest neighbors may benefit from investments near NCCU and downtown Durham, as well as job training programs funded by the tax and any increases in tourist spending.
But again, we join the tax's critics by calling on Durham's leadership to refocus its efforts on emergency services, healthcare, infrastructure spending and other bread and butter issues that are as essential to quality of life as any museum or trail.
The Chronicle Editorial Board formally endorses the proposed 1 percent tax on prepared food within Durham County.
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