I know it’s only November, but I already have that song stuck in my head, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
There’s so much to look forward to around this time of year, with Thanksgiving only a few weeks away and Christmas quickly approaching.
Many of you might begin your holiday shopping early by searching through catalogs or browsing online, but before you are tempted to do that, I’d like to share why it is so important to shop local.
We usually don’t think about the consequences of shopping out of town or on the Internet. Admittedly, it just may be more convenient to browse online, conduct a search and make your purchase in less than 30 minutes in the comfort of your own home or office.
But before you begin to browse online or set out on that out-of-town shopping excursion, please give some thought to the following points.
Harvey County merchants contribute to our local tax base and to our quality of life.
They not only pay significant property taxes on the investment they have made in our community, but local sales tax also helps support our city, county, schools and economic development.
These local merchants provide jobs and livelihood for our families, friends and neighbors.
Harvey County merchants are the ones we go to church with and with whom we attend sporting events and other local community functions.
Harvey County businesses reinvest the dollars you spend back into our local economy to increase the quality of life for all of us.
Taxes paid by our local merchants help reduce the individual tax burden each and every one of us must bear.
Keep this in mind. Dollars spent at home are redistributed in our own local economy several times, allowing the people you live with day in and day out the chance to provide for their families.
The local sales tax and property tax allow us to have great schools, parks, police and fire protection, just to mention a few of our essential needs.
Think of it this way: Who would you rather support? Your friends and neighbors or somebody you don’t know and who certainly doesn’t know you?
So before you decide to physically shop outside of Harvey County or to shop online, please consider shopping locally.
Thank you in advance for supporting your local merchants and may you have a blessed holiday season!
Alex Carbajal is president of the Newton Area Chamber Board of Directors.
