2017 Atlanta mayoral race: How high can the city’s sales taxes go?

Is there a ceiling for Atlanta sales tax increases?

Candidates hoping to succeed Mayor Kasim Reed think so.

At a Thursday Committee for a Better Atlanta mayoral forum, state Sen. Vincent Fort and City Councilmembers Keisha Lance Bottoms and Kwanza Hall said there is a limit to how many times Atlanta City Hall should ask voters to dig deep to pay for the latest want from the executive branch.

Mayor Kasim Reed has said he wants a one-tenth of a penny sales tax to raise money for the arts. The request follows the successful nine-tenths of a penny increase in the sales tax that voters approved last year for transportation projects in two referendum questions. 

Atlanta’s sales tax is 8.9 percent, one of the highest in the nation.

“I would support investing in the arts, but beyond that I think we’ve got to do more with what we already have and just focus on the resources that we haven’t spent as wisely as we probably could,” Hall said.