Rossmoor Taxpayers Get Answer to Sales Tax Confusion
Residents of an unincorporated Orange County, California, town said they were recently overcharged taxes for sharing the same zip code as a neighboring, higher-taxed city.
The issue dates back to last November, when Los Alamitos voters narrowly passed Measure Y, which allowed the city to raise its sales tax by 1.5 percent. The tax hike was proposed due to concerns that Los Alamitos would run out of money due to the economic impact of the global pandemic, coupled with other budgetary worries.
The measure was introduced to generate additional revenue to mitigate cuts of essential services and public safety. Voters passed the measure by less than 140 votes, enabling the city to increase its sales tax to 9.25 percent; Los Alamitos now ties Santa Ana in having the highest tax rate in Orange County.