Building Knoxville’s Competitive Edge: Why I am Voting for the Sales Tax Referendum

By Brandon Bruce

As an entrepreneur and investor, I’ve spent years helping launch and grow companies in Knoxville. One question I hear constantly from entrepreneurs, business leaders and investors is, “Why Knoxville?” Why should we start here, grow here, or invest here instead of another city?

The answer always comes down to people. The talent you can attract and the people you can retain are the ultimate drivers of growth. And talent doesn’t just follow jobs anymore, it follows quality of life.

That’s why I am voting for the local sales tax referendum.

The referendum would raise Knoxville’s local sales tax by half a cent—from 2.25 percent to 2.75 percent. That small adjustment will generate about $47 million a year, with every dollar earmarked for visible, measurable improvements across the city.

Groceries are exempt from the tax, and visitors (people who shop, eat, or stay in Knoxville but don’t live here) will help foot the bill.

This is not a blank check. It’s a clear plan to build the kind of infrastructure that makes Knoxville more livable, more attractive, and more competitive.

I’m an avid cyclist, and I enjoyed walking my kids to school when they were younger. Those experiences are a reminder that infrastructure is personal. A missing sidewalk, an unsafe road crossing, a greenway that doesn’t connect anywhere, these things affect our quality of life. But they also affect our economy. 

When companies decide where to expand or entrepreneurs choose where to launch, they look for communities that invest in themselves. Housing, safe streets, vibrant parks and connected greenways aren’t just amenities. They are magnets for talent.

Knoxville competes in a national marketplace. Cities that are thriving are doing so because they’ve made long-term bets on infrastructure and quality of life. They’ve built cities where top engineers, designers and business leaders want to live. If we want Knoxville to be in that league, we can’t rely on yesterday’s infrastructure.

For companies, strong infrastructure is better for business. Affordable housing makes it possible for young workers to stay here instead of leaving. Sidewalks and safe streets make it easier for families to choose a home. Greenways and parks make Knoxville more attractive to relocating talent. Each of these factors make Knoxville a stronger sell to companies weighing where to grow.

And when we don’t invest, the costs are obvious. Retaining and recruiting talent is harder. Turnover is higher. 

This referendum also signals something important, that Knoxville is willing to invest in itself. 

That message matters. It matters to the entrepreneur considering where to launch their next company. It matters to the national employer thinking about where to open their next office. And it matters to the families deciding whether to build their future here or somewhere else.

As a parent, I want my kids to grow up in a city that invests in them. As a cyclist, I want safer, more connected routes. As an entrepreneur and investor, I want Knoxville to keep attracting the kind of talent and companies that will drive our economy for decades.

That’s what this referendum is about, it’s an investment in Knoxville.

I am voting FOR Knoxville on November 4. I hope you will, too.

Brandon Bruce is a technology entrepreneur, investor, avid community volunteer, cyclist and co-founder of Market Square Ventures, 121 Tech Hub, and the Knoxville Technology Council. For more information on the referendum visit, https://neighborsforknoxville.com/