They owe it to themselves to do their homework before voting July 31. They especially need to know how to separate fact from fiction. For example, consider these statements, which are factual:
- Every penny that is raised in Chatham County and the coastal region through TSPLOST (an estimated $1.6 billion raised over 10 years) will be spent on local projets with local
oversight. - No money raised in this 10-county region — or any region in Georgia, for that matter — can be spent on any project in any other region.
- Of the total revenue raised in this region, 75 percent will go back toward the regional projects list. The remaining 25 percent will go back to this area’s cities and counties to use for local transportation projects.
- A local citizen’s accountability committee, consisting of non-elected people, will be appointed to help ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget.
- At 7.5 cents per gallon, Georgia’s gas tax is one of the lowest in the nation. The amount of money raised through this tax, which helps pay for transportation improvements, has declined over the years as cars have become more fuel-efficient. Thus there’s a need for a new revenue stream. (Georgia’s gas tax would have to increase by 27 percent to raise the same amount of revenue as TSPLOST.)
Now make note of the falsehoods: - A big chunk of the TSPLOST funds from this area will be funnelled to metro Atlanta and spent on projects there. Not true. Can’t happen under provisions of the tax if it’s passed.
- The state Department of Transportation will spend this extra revenue on projects that it wants, not people who live in this region. Again, not true. They can’t do it.
- The DOT will leave Georgia’s cities and counties in the cold. DOT doesn’t get to decide how/where to spend the money.
- State bureaucrats in Atlanta won’t report how the money is spent. Local officials will be in charge.
- A slight bump up in the gas tax will generate all the money that’s needed. It would actually require a painfully large increase.
Here are two last facts. If
TSPLOST fails in this region, there’s no Plan B. But if voters approve it, it means more jobs (at least 28,000, which is the number of jobs that the Federal Highway Administration says $1 billion spent on transportation projects will create).
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The oversite is being done by non elected persons in the area. Who do you think is appointing those non-elected people? I am a REALTOR and I think this is a HORRIBLE TAX!
If so you might owe some folks a clarification
And yes based on your comments on vrious issues in this forum, I think you are obviously a victim of this affliction.
You have my sympathy.
Amazing how that CAN happen once in awhile.
VOTE YES!
Must be brought on by a severe and permanent case of myopic idiocy.
The taxpayers in Metro Atlanta are on the verge of getting hoodwinked by the ineffective project list being funded by the TSPLOST scam.
You used all of the right words (negative, uninformed,uneducated and ignorant) but you didn't articulate them very accurately.
Let me restate for you:
I readily admit that I am negative when it comes to people like yourself who are uninformed, uneducated and ignorant.
If you read ALL of my posts you have seen that I do make positive, supportive comments when someone puts forth a well reasoned and logical position on a particular issue.
Chatham County residents are too smart to fall for the T SPLOST hype, and that is why they are running these totally FALSE ads. The money raised in the Coastal Region does NOT stay in the Region. Chatham County is itself a donor county to the extent of $ 274 MILLION dollars that will be spent OUT OF Chatham County. The entire Coastal Region taxpayers will pay more than $ 247 MILLION more than is scheduled in terms of the dollar value of the projects, including the discretionary funding.
The surplus of funds raised by T SPLOST, if passed, would allow GDOT to redirect the fuel tax funds to the Metro Atlanta area, and there is nothing in TIA that prevents that. Since GDOT has not had a "clean" audit in over four years, how will anyone know where the excess of funds goes ? It might even end up in some enterprising politician's campaign account.
The biggest lie is the Chamber suggesting that the fuel tax we pay is ONLY 7.5 cents. Georgians pay more than 47 cents for every gallon of gas that is purchased in this state, which puts Georgia right in the middle in terms of the states, and toward the upper end of the scale for the southern most states, which have lower highway maintenance costs because of the environment.
If a private business attempted these kind of lies the politicians would be falling all over themselves to pass some new regulation, and posturing before TV cameras at a hearing.
Clean up the bloated GDOT, create a new citizen elected Board of Transportation rather than the retired political hacks that get those seats now, lean out GDOT, and then raise the fuel taxes to accomodate for the transportation budget needs. A user fee like the fuel tax is the most fair method for solving this matter, but only AFTER GDOT has been "cleaned up" and is subjected to some level of oversight, which does not exist currently.
Or maybe they have a project list that actually makes some sense.
Just wondering