Polly Henry, the 78-year-old owner of All Books in downtown Chattanooga, sits in her store, weaving a wool rug, just days after hearing that Chattanooga may need to raise property taxes.
The owner of the used book store said the Internet has killed her business, so now she weaves to help pay some bills. The prospect of a property tax increase might finish her off, she said.
“These taxes kill small businesses,” she said Wednesday. “My bookstore’s not making any money – everything’s changed, and it’s hard to keep up with the pace, especially now.”
Chattanooga officials said this week they face a $1.5 million shortfall in sales tax collections and could face the possibility of raising taxes for the first time in eight years.
“A tax increase is not something that anyone likes to do,” Mayor Ron Littlefield said, “but we are elected to these positions to sometimes make the hard choices and do the right thing instead of the politically popular thing.