In response to writer Joy Etienne’s letter, “Ban Not Likely to Happen for Kent”, in the Dec. 18 Kent Reporter: Her assumption that the City Council is in love with the sales tax on fireworks just isn’t true for the simple reason the revenue isn’t much.
According to Kent’s financial department, the total amount of revenue Kent gained through sales tax on fireworks was a total of only $272 for 2015.
On the other hand, passing the ban would result in a much larger financial impact through the reduction of the overtime currently paid to the police and fire departments on July 4. After the ban goes into effect on July 4, 2017, the overtime reduction might not be that much initially, but the cost reduction should increase each year as the number of violations decrease.
– Rich Brandau
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