Lame Duck Commission tries for yet another sales tax hike

Your urgent action needed
-- Lame duck County Commission --
~ COASTers need to call TODAY
to stop yet another sales tax hike ~

 

            COAST has just learned that one last attempt is underway raise the County sales tax, and to do it before the term of liberal democrat David Pepper's term expires at the end of December.

            The urgent action of COASTers is needed NOW to stop Portune and Pepper from advancing this tax increase during the lame duck session between now and year's end.  Please call or write your Commissioner immediately indicating your opposition to this tax rip-off that already has been rejected twice by the voters:

Todd Portune              (513) 946-4401

David Pepper              (513) 946-4409

Greg Hartmann           (513) 946-4405

Please ask them not to raise the sales tax before year's end!

            In 2006, Todd Portune joined a unanimous Commission seeking to raise $333 million from a 1/4¢ sales tax increase that was put to a vote of the people that same year.  The voters rejected that increase by a 57% margin.

           In 2007, the democrats took over control of the Commission with the election of liberal democrat David Pepper and their first major act was to impose a 1/2¢ sales tax increase without a vote of the people.  This plan was designed to raise $777 million for a new jail and social services -- a Super-sized sales tax!  The legendary WeDemand coalition was formed to oppose that tax, and in 45 days, the NAACP, COAST, the Libertarian party, the Green Party, Cincinnati Progressive Action and others gathered 56,000 signatures using more than 350 volunteers to place the issue before the voters.  That fall, tax proponents spent more than $1 million (including $100,000 from David Pepper's mother) and still the tax lost by 56% of the vote.

             Now, some 30 months later, they are at it again.  Todd Portune is advancing yet another plan to secure an unvoted 1/2¢ sales tax increase, this time to pay the stadium fund deficit.  Yes, that's right, Todd Portune wants yet another tax increase for Mike Brown's pleasure palace on the riverfront.

             Apparently the Todd Portune did not get the message about voter rejection of tax-and-spend policies from the fall election.  Please call all three Commissioners explain it to them one more time.

            (We do not at this time have any indication of which way David Pepper is leaning on the issue, we just know how he has voted int he past.  Commissioner Hartmann has already stated his firm opposition.)