Photo: designer491 / iStock / Getty Images
The sales tax rate in Martin County could be going up next year.
The County Commission Tuesday night approved a ballot referendum in November that will ask voters whether they want to increase the county's sales tax by a half-percent.
That would mean the tax rate would go from the current 6.5 percent to 7.0 percent, with the funding to go towards purchasing land for conservation.
The effort is being led by the non-profit Martin County Forever, which expects it to raise more than $18 million per year over the next ten years.
The tax would not apply to groceries, pharmaceuticals or school supplies.