Posted: Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 8:37 AM ET (1237 GMT)
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A county in southern New Mexico overwhelmingly approved a sales tax increase Tuesday that will help fund the development of a commercial spaceport in the state. Voters in Sierra County, New Mexico approved a quarter-cent increase in the county's sales tax by a two-to-one margin in a special election. The majority of the money from that tax will be used to help build Spaceport America, a commercial spaceport planned for southern New Mexico that will be used by space tourism firm Virgin Galactic and other companies. The approval of the tax allows the state to create a "tax district" along with a neighboring county that approved a similar tax last year, allowing tax revenues to be collected and channeled to the spaceport.