Voters in South Dakota will decide on a one cent sales tax increase next week. Initiated Measure 15 was placed on the ballot by a coalition of education and health care groups. Most of the attention has been focused on the need for more money for schools, but half of the money raised by the sales tax would go to medical providers. Dave Hewett, President of the South Dakota Association of Health Care Organizations says legislative cuts forces higher costs on health care providers…
Many health care facilities in the state are either expanding, or planning new construction. Hewett says that’s a necessary part of evolving medical practices…
While the issue was placed directly on the ballot after a petition drive, the law could be changed by future legislatures. Hewett says that could be a risky move…
The new tax would raise about one hundred eighty million dollars a year. Opponents say it’s too much money, and it’s the wrong time to raise taxes.