Actually we used to get a bump in sales tax revenue from insurance payouts after hurricanes, but with homeowners’ insurance likely to be replaced by a government program because insurance companies are deserting the state, that era is over.

Diversify or lose – it’s a cardinal rule for business.

There are ways of smoothing jumps in property taxes, which should be looked at, but trying to replace them with the sales tax is just stupid.

Relying on something as changeable as tourism for the economic base is, as you note, dangerous. All we need are a couple of hurricanes and we’ve got a problem. Oh, wait…

This takes control of a lot of things away from local governments and gives it to the state.

Around here people will go to Alabama to buy big items, or buy mail order.

The claim for fooling with the sales tax is that tourists will finance the state. Not if they decide it is too expensive.

…