It is the nature of the job that a legislator must sometimes defy popular opinion to do what he knows is best for his community.
But what happened this week in the final days of the 2018 Mississippi legislative session goes well beyond the pale.
We do not recall a case in which our delegation in the House of Representatives has so badly betrayed the public trust as in this case.
Rep. Jeff Smith’s and Rep. Gary Chism’s refusal to agree on a bill that would have extended Lowndes County’s 2-percent restaurant tax is shameful. The impact of this decision will be felt for years to come. The tax generated $2 million annually for the promotion of tourism and for economic development.
Local officials spent a painful six months clashing and compromising on the details of the tax and how the resulting funds would be distributed. A resolution was agreed upon between our city and county governments, defining those details.
Our Jackson delegation’s job was to present a bill that reflected that resolution and then give a nod of approval to their peers.
For Smith and Chism, who are both on the House committee responsible for this type of bill, to not support the resolution we sent to them based presumably on personal preference and rigid ideology is something that cannot be condoned.
The point of issue was determining which restaurants would collect the tax. Currently, restaurants in Lowndes County with more than $325,000 in sales annually are required to collect an additional 2-percent tax on prepared food.
In negotiations, city and county elected officials agreed to remove that limit. There are 80 similar restaurant taxes throughout Mississippi. Ours is the only one with a limit.
Smith took to Facebook this week, arguing the change constitutes a new tax on restaurants and calling for a referendum on the matter.
The tax is not a new burden on these smaller restaurants. It is a voluntary tax paid by people who choose to go out to eat. Restaurants collect the tax from patrons and simply pass that money on. Implementing the 2-percent tax would pose no additional burden on even smaller restaurants.
Regardless of the details, our lawmakers saw this community fretting over the possibility of losing this tax. If the removal of the $325,000 limit was going to be an issue in Jackson, they should have been waving a red flag and saying so these past six months.
We expect these people to lead. Instead they have failed this community.
This was not a matter of legislators being true to principles. It was violation of the public trust.
Shame on them.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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