With Election Day only a few days away, people are already starting to mail in their ballots, and line up at early voting sites. Most people are looking forward to casting their ballot for their favorite presidential candidate, but often forget about local and state ballot measures that are up for vote. These ballot measures often directly affect the everyday lives of citizens, and even more so than the presidential election. One of these measures will be up for vote in Johns Creek, Georgia and throughout Fulton County (minus the city of Atlanta): the Transportation special-purpose local-option sales tax, otherwise known as TSPLOST. In short, TSPLOST is a 0.75-cent increase in taxes in which its revenues will go towards building infrastructure. At first glance, it seems like a reasonable measure. A minuscule increase in taxes, for less traffic. That could not be further from the truth, so here’s why you should vote NO on the TSPLOST referendum.
Details
First, here are some of the details on what the tax entails:
- An increase in the Fulton County sales tax from 7% to 7.75% for transportation infrastructure improvements
- Projects developed by each city
- Revenue divided by the population of each city
- Collected for five years starting on April 1, 2017
- Maximum of $660 million will be collected
Where the money is going
One of the main selling points of TSPLOST is that it’s a “transportation tax” and that the money collected from it will go towards reducing congestion in the area. The problem with this is that only about a third of the money collected from TSPLOST will actually go towards projects that will reduce congestion. The rest are going towards other projects such as landscaping improvements, new traffic lights, and general road repairs.
Who is receiving the money
Another problem with the tax is how the revenue will be distributed. The revenue from the tax will be distributed throughout Fulton County based on a city’s population. This seems to make sense, however it could mean that we will get less bang for our buck. In other words, we could end up paying a lot more taxes, than what the road repairs will be worth. In addition, according to the City of Johns Creek, only 85% of the revenue for the planned projects in Johns Creek will be collected over the five year period. That most likely means that a tax hike will be in our future in order to make up the difference.
Crony Capitalism at its finest
There is a reason this legislation was heavily lobbied for by large companies. They knew that this would never be feasible to pass in the state legislature, so they lobbied to have it voted on by the citizens hoping that it would have a better chance of passing. It’s also why these same companies have poured thousands of dollars into advertising for this tax increase. They know that if this passes, they will ensure profits for themselves, at the expense of the taxpayers. Just this past week, the citizens of Johns Creek received a mailer advertising the “benefits of TSPLOST” and mislead many people to believe that this was a document from the City of Johns Creek when in fact it was sent by the Georgia Construction Aggregate Association. Not only are they lobbying on behalf of construction companies, its owner is the GDOT board member. Do not be fooled by the mentions of the Johns Creek website on this document. It is simply a lobbying effort on behalf of large construction corporations.
[Photo: Misleading advertisement sent by the Georgia Construction Aggregate Association to residents of Johns Creek.]
In the end, this tax hike is covering up the real problems. It’s a way for politicians to cozy up to construction companies, and not hiding the real problem of wasteful spending by the state government. Simply raising taxes need not always be the answer. Vote NO on the Fulton County TSPLOST.
