NASHVILLE - Today,
leading opponents of the proposed property tax increase on Metro
Nashville taxpayers released a statement on the Nashville Area Chamber
of Commerce's endorsement of the plan. Talk radio host Ralph Bristol,
Nashville Tea Party founder Ben Cunningham, Nashville business owner Lee
Beaman, and Justin Owen of the Beacon Center of Tennessee said the
following:
Yesterday,
the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce publicly endorsed Mayor Karl
Dean's 13 percent property tax hike. This is unfortunate for many of its
business members who will undoubtedly face a significant increase in
their tax burdens, and it also raises a serious question about a
conflict of interest.
Under
the mayor's budget proposal, the Chamber will receive its annual
subsidy of $300,000 from Metro taxpayers. In order to avoid a perceived
conflict of interest, we are calling on the Chamber to officially refuse
this handout. In its statement, the Chamber pointed to the need to
raise government employee salaries and fund our schools as justification
for the tax increase. Refusing its $300,000 subsidy will help ensure
that every dollar of the proposed tax hike goes to fund those programs
the Chamber claims warrant the tax hike in the first place, rather than
to boost its own bottom line.
Further,
it is imperative that Mayor Dean withdraw proposed funding to any
private entity that endorses the tax hike to likewise avoid any
conflicts of interest. This will ensure that no taxpayer money is used
by private parties to push for a tax increase based on their own
potential benefits. It will also guarantee that the debate over the
need of this tax increase remains transparent and without such
conflicts.
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