A referendum was held on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 to determine whether or not the sales tax in Escambia County would be increased by one half-cent ($0.005) for a period of ten years, increasing the sales tax rate to 8.0% from the current tax rate of 7.5%. The additional tax was proposed by AccessEscambia, a non-profit 501(c)4 organization established in 2003 to study and address the increase in the number of Escambia County residents who lack health insurance. If passed, the additional tax would have generated an expected $15 million to $17 million yearly to fund primary and preventive healthcare for Escambia County residents who lack health insurance and meet certain other criteria. The proposal was defeated at the polls by an almost 2:1 ratio.