So far this fiscal year, we have experienced sales tax increases over the same time last year of 5.30 percent in October, 9.52 percent in November, 22.73 percent in December, 15.78 percent in January, and 14.58 percent in February.

From our perspective, they're setting a floor for funding transit from the motor vehicle sales tax and a ceiling for contributions to the highway user tax distribution fund for highways.

If there were no sales tax-free holidays, would the situation be any different for consumers? We asked consumers that question in a survey, and 70 percent said a tax-free week didn't affect their shopping.

We've got businesses on the North Shore who have seen 30 per cent property tax increases on top of 40 per cent the year before and 30 per cent the year before that, then you're hitting them with another basically property tax. . . . It's just the straw that broke the camel's back, it's too much.

Any tax increases that did pass after the remarkably low collection in 2002 are contributing to the increased collections now.

There won't have to be tax increases.