Oak Ridge
Accountability Project
Press Release
March 12, 2004
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
The
Fate of Tennessee Taxpayer Bill of Rights to be Decided Today!
Six Uncommitted State Senators Will Spell the Difference In This
Afternoon’s Vote
(A Recent Kansas Poll Found that 73% of Kansas Residents
Favor a Taxpayer Bill of Rights for Their State)
A groundbreaking Tennessee Taxpayers Bill of Rights
is scheduled to come before the
Tennessee State Judiciary Committee late this afternoon. At stake is a Judiciary recommendation
(positive or negative) to the Tennessee Senate Finance Committee.
“We had hoped that the
Judiciary Committee would be the final stop, prior to consideration by the full
Tennessee Senate,” said Martin McBride, Spokesperson for the Oak Ridge Accountability Project,
supporters of the measure.
“Unfortunately, efforts to make that happen have proven
unsuccessful. It now appears that a
Taxpayer Bill of Rights will have to run the gauntlet of two Senate Committees
before reaching the Senate floor (and before citizens are allowed a full and
open debate on the matter). “
“ We are encouraging people
to call one or more of the six uncommitted senators on the Judiciary Committee
today, before the vote, and urge them to support the Tennessee Taxpayers Bill
of Rights. Their names and telephone numbers are available on our new web site
( www.aproject.org ).”
A Tennessee Taxpayer Bill of Rights would amend the state
constitution to:
- Limit the growth of state spending to the rate
of growth of the family budget
(the bill limits growth to (1) the increase of the consumer price index
plus (2) the rate of state population growth)
- Require that increases in state taxes be voted
on by the people, and
- Require that excess revenue collected by the
state be returned to Tennessee taxpayers
Any amendment to the constitution will ultimately
require approval in a statewide citizen vote.
However, before that can happen, proposed amendments must first make it
through the state legislature.
During the past decade, Tennessee government grew by an incredible
81%,
a rate which is:
- ·
considerably faster than the growth
of inflation and social security (27%),
- ·
faster than the growth of family
income (40-50%),
- ·
faster than the growth of the
federal government (52%), and
- ·
uncomfortably close to the
disastrous growth rate seen in California government (89%).
The
extraordinary growth in Tennessee government spending has forced state taxes
up-and-up-again for families across Tennessee---a move which not only reduced
disposable income substantially but also did damage to the Tennessee
economy. According to US Department of
Commerce data, an average Colorado worker (under a Taxpayer Bill of Rights)
made $31,000
more than his Tennessee counterpart during the last decade!
A
correctly-structured Taxpayer Bill of Rights can really help Tennessee families
advance. It will boost our state’s
economy and help vital state services, such as the state’s education institutions, receive necessary funding in
the coming years. It will also add an
important element of accountability to state government---which will act to
strengthen and empower the legislature.
In a related
development, a newspaper in Lawrence Kansas revealed yesterday that a poll of
Kansas voters showed overwhelming support for the adoption of Taxpayer Bill of
Rights in their state. Yesterday’s
Lawrence Journal World newspaper reported that fully 73 percent of Kansas
voters favor a Kansas Taxpayers Bill of Rights. The poll had a margin of error of 4.9%.
“The Kansas poll
result is consistent with our contention that Americans really want a
government that is more directly accountable to them,” said McBride,
“particularly on matters affecting the family budget, such as tax increases. The Taxpayer Bill of Rights is truly an idea
for the twenty-first century.”
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Dr.
MICHAEL A. S. GUTH
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Free Legal Advice Given in the Past ||
Attorney at Law
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