Vote - NONONONO No more new taxes or tax increases until our county's, state and country's economic conditions improve.

The economic conditions cannot improve without improved infrastructure and a transportation plan.

Economic conditions can improve without improved infrastructure. If you look at the proposed t-splost projects, they're not monumental not significant to improving our traffic issues. T-splost is flawed based upon how it is to be funded...a sales tax. Road improvements should be funded via gasoline tax AND income tax. This will ensure that everyone who benefits pays.

The idea that each Georgia region should decide and pay separately is insane as we're all connected and benefit. There is also a state pool of transportation $ that will be allocated. I believe that Atlanta has and will continue to fund projects in other parts of the state.

Companies will not locate in Metro Atlanta if we don't have a long-term transportation plan. An increase in the gas tax would have to a minimmum of $.20 per gallon. And it can't be used on anything but roads or bridges. No thanks. This is the fairest tax option.

No thanks Marsi. No TSPLOST for me! Additional taxes don't bring new businesses.

Weather,

The TSPLOST, as indicated by the the 'SPLOST' element of the tittle, is a Special Local Option SALES Tax. Businesses are just collectors, vehicles, not payers of said tax. Doesn't effect them one way or the other. Sales tax.

Daniel...true, businesses don't pay the tax yet the will benefit greatly from it. AS a sales tax, it is designed to be paid at a disproportionate rate by those who spend their entire paychecks in order to exist, the poor and working class.

Also, a flaw with sales taxes is that a significant portion estimated at 15 to 20 are never remitted to the state and are stolen by the collecting business. Have you ever been to a restaurant that doesn't use the register correctly? Ever hear of a person underreporting his sales? Ever hear of a business wanting to be paid in cash? Guess what, you're paying them your sales tax dollars and they're keeping it. How does that make you feel?

TSPLOST= The Stupid People Looting our Sales Tax

Why would anyone who's seen the "success" that Peach Pass is NOT vote for TSPLOST? (Sarcasm heavily intended.)

The project list is set -- and there are Peach Passes in it. And no, the money cannot go into a general fund. Read the enabling legislation.

DOT spent $50-60 million of our money on the HOT lanes, then they want to charge us to use the lanes we paid for? Now they want more of our money to waste?

No thank you..

Peach Pass my A..

If the politicians have the will, they can require any new tax to be use exclusively for a stated purpose. As such, an additional 1/2% income tax could be enacted to specifically fund transportation.

Some people favor toll roads, however, toll roads add an additional buracracy and costs while indebting the state and taxing the use, not the benefit derived from the toll road.

Income tax is the best way to generate income for the state as it taxes the benefit of state functions. The primary purpose for roads is for commerce/income...transportation of goods and services and labor. Recreational use is minimal.

@Eric gasoline and diesel are taxed on a per gallon sold not as a percentage of the sale and we are actually driving a lot less today then we were ten years ago. Current consumption of gasoline is below 2001 levels. @Frank is correct when it comes to tolls. They wont work and will only add to more big gov. Adding a gps in a vehicle to calculate miles driven has some merit however I am not comfortable with big brother in my car. The problem with increasing the income tax is it won't go away and the money will flow into the general fund. At least with a SPLOST it has a stated purpose and term. True they can be hard to get rid of but that is mostly because the politicians can point out things they have done with the money to make things better. I know we would not have the parks we have in Gwinnett with out a SPLOST.

@American...the Federal gas tax is and has been fixed at 18.4 CPG since 1993. Considering inflation, the federal tax has gone done be roughly 40% since 1993. In Georgia, the tax is per gallon but is adjusted semi-annually based upon the current sale price. As such, it changes as the retail price changes.

I agree that using income tax as a means of assessing transportation dollars would be problematic unless the Gold Dome passed a law requiring the additional rate to be transferred to the transportation fund. It would be very simple to do, but probably too difficult for our legislators to figure out...they aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer!

Lastly, don't credit any of the Splosts with anything. They Splosts were simply a mechanism that was sold to the public...they are simply a means to raise taxes when the politicians are too weak kneed to what's right and afraid of Norquist's no new tax pledge.

@ American FJ is right except he didn't explain the entire state mechanism. The State portion is a constitutionally restricted cents per gallon, I believe 7 cents, plus a 3% legislatively restricted amount. As gas prices rise this 3% portion is adjusted to be a per gallon amount. And Deal recently did not adjust the price up.

Bottom line the state portion which frankly is the amount that is of limited supply does go up with the rise in gas prices.

@American...There is much to be discussed and unfortunately, the state and local chamber is throwing a lot of money behind T-Splost in their attempt to "Educate" us. I agree that we have been able to fund schools, parks, and libraries using Splost taxes, however, my contention is that we could have achieved the same results with another funding mechanism. The Gold Dome sells us splost "Vote for Splost Or Else!". It's an easy way for the politicians to raise taxes without raising taxes...but that's why we elected them, to manage state revenue and allocate funds as necessary. In a typical business, they're all be fired for failing to do their job!

So back to the issue of T-Splost or no T-Splost. I say no as:

1. The tax is regressive
2. They're billing it as solving Atlanta's traffic problem -- it won't.
3. Some projects have nothing to do with traffic such as landing lights at the Cobb County(?) airport.
4. Individuals will bare the burden, but businesses will reap the benefits.
5. All of Georgia will benefit, but only Atlanta will pay.
6. Atlanta probably sends substantial money to the rest of the state for their roads.
7. There's ample waste within the current budget that could be used to help solve problems but they won't address. Items such as: corporate welfare, $50+ million of private school funding, and more.

@Frank your bullets are valid. I do not believe the TSPLOST will solve much of our traffic issues and anyone who does does not have a clue. The only way we are going to do that is to find a way to reduce the current car count on our roads. I would like to change the projects that would be implemented with the TSPOLST to include expanding our modes of transportation. We need to expand the ways we get in and around the metro. There is no reason a major expansion of MARTA should not be on this project list. I would include that to be more buses and a much more expansive rail system. I hear what you are saying about being a regressive tax and that the people in and around Atlanta would pay for it and the business would get all the benefit. Here is something to ponder though. If in fact we could improve our system of transportation and employers did show up and higher people would that not have a direct effect on the people in the county? I could see property values rising again and at least the poorest among us who may not be the best trained would at least have a better chance of getting a job and helping themselves up the latter. The money needs to come from somewhere and I would prefer not to issue debt to fund these projects. I wonder if we should take our chances at passing the TSPLOST and then change the projects to be funded. Big risk I know and I probably would not take it either.

Anybody get in on this tonight? I just realized the Gwinnett call was scheduled for 6:15pm. With traffic as bad as it is I how many people do they think are home (and settled) by that time? I missed it. Will hope they do the download like they have for the others.

If you made the call did you learn anything earth shattering?

Gwinnett call was scheduled for 6:15pm. The cheerleading CIDs and Chamber of Commerce staff didn't want to hang out too long...

The talking point about "companies won't locate here if this isn't passed" is misleading - since the 10 year plan has already been revealed as NOT changing commute times at all per ARC - SO ATLANTA will REMAIN TIED Up.

Why are we here again if it MAKES no DIFFERENCE and how does that attract business? (Unless they profit directly from construction or supporting services)

Second the claim " we have to do SOMETHING" is valid, but my take is different than the talking point because I agree we HAVE to do SOMETHING which is START over in REALITY.

Promising other people's money to get more FEDERAL dollars that are NOT guaranteed is short term foolishness because the bulk of the money is OURS.

"R", you're absolutely correct.....the Federal Bureaucracy thinks it's doing us a favor by giving us money, when in fact the money they're "giving" us is what we've "Given" them and now they're giving us back a pittance of it after paying all their "Costs" of administering "our" money........what a racket and it needs to come to a screeching halt......

bulldogger, you are absoltely correct. That is why it behooves us taxpayers to hanmmer away at our two U.S. Senators and our Congressman to put the axe to the 900 Federal grant programs and the 2,001 (last count) Federal subsidy programs and the bureaucracy which administers same and put that money back in our pockets. Federal grants and subsidies to feed the public transit hogs that will not pay for themselves are among those grant and subsidy programs. The immediate need though is to handle business at the ballot box on July 31st.

The ARC actually admits that this tax and the 10 years it will take to get as many projects on the list as they can finish will not fix the traffic problems in Atlanta. The roundtable is touting that this tax and the projects it will finance will bring jobs to Atlanta but we have problems that this tax will not fix. Water supply is going to be a big problem, the infrastructure in Atlanta is aging quickly and the increase in water fees is not keeping up with the capital needed to keep in working order much less update the system. Bonds, more fees, raising the water rates further or new taxes will be needed there as well. The education system has given our fair city a very public black eye that is going to take a marketing miracle to repair any time soon. The accusations of wrong doing with the bidding process at Hartsfield are ongoing and cast a pall over the city as well. Who is going to see us as a good bet for moving their business here? It will still take tax huge tax incentives to bribe them here. Passing a tax that admittedly will not fix the regions traffic problems nor have jobs pouring in except for some construction jobs that are not permanent does not seem like a good bet to me. .

Looking at a map of Georgia will show that all Interstates flow into/out of Atlanta. A motorist cannot get through the State on a decent road without going through Atlanta. The GDOT has created this problem, and the TSPLOST does not address the root cause. There are no plans in the TSPLOST to build a limited access highway from Columbus to Macon to Augusta, from Augusta to Savannah, or a bypass around Atlanta going north-south. The TSPLOST list is trying to fix problems the currently exist but does not plan for the future. There will be no money for these projects.

Businesses don't relocate to areas because they have good roads. If that were true, Atlanta and Charlotte would have all the businesses in the East since we have all the interstates. They relocate because state governments give them tax abatements. The states then increase taxes on their citizens to make up the shortfall.

I like the way things are now: daily fatal accidents on our roads control population; Yankees bitch about Atlanta traffic and continue to move to FL so we don't have to put up with them; and I plan my day by avoiding rush hours on the interstate.

Count my vote as NO NEW TAXES!!

Wrong way Guv--just lowered the gas tax. Unbelievably out of the other corner of his mouth he supports TSPLOST. He said he reduced the gas tax --and I quote from AJC--"taking extra money from tax payers now (referring to the economy) is the wrong move." Ummm...what exactly is the TSPLOST Guv?
In fact, the TSPLOST is EXTRA--while the gas tax is not--its already in place. He thinks we're all morons.

I'm not a fan of the TSPLOST because I feel the entire state should bear the burden of infrastructure projects that benefit all Georgians through higher state wide taxes and budgetary priorities. That being said, if that is the only way these projects are going to get done then so be it, I'll hold my nose and vote for it.

Our state is being completely mismanaged and will continue to be as long as Georgians vote for any idiot with an (R) by their name.

Where were you when the idiots with a (D) by their name were running the government of Georgia for over 100 years? It wasn't any better. This just proves that politicians are politicians, regardless of political affiliation. I hope everyone that considers themselves a (D) or an (R) now realize that, in Georgia at least, it doesn't matter. They are animals of the same stripes.

Brian--you don't have to hold your nose and vote "yes". I mean to say, you do have to hold your nose IF you vote yes--but you don't have to vote yes. The legislature can only be held accountable to their responsibility to govern if this "crap against the wall" is turned back. Waiting in the wings is a forced "decision to decide" with the tools already provided to invest in new infrastructure and plan for our future--increased gas taxes, additional gas tax recapture from the feds, state bonds, user fees (tolls) and special self-taxing districts (CIDs) with federal matching.
Referenda in general represent "decisions not to decide" by the people elected to make tough decisions. Do not let them off the hook. As the AJC columnist stated today--question the urgency of "now". Send this putrid mess back from whence it came.

I VERY reluctantly voted for E-SPLOST, I thought it would be a huge mistake giving Dekalb any more money to mismanage. But I listened to all of the pleas, "think of the children, don't you care about children???" and wound up voting yes. Now we have learned the true nature of what pss poor management DCSS is really under, that nothing has changed since the last admin, and giving them another penny was just a colossal mistake.

I just can't see voting to raise any more taxes. If you're eager to pay more taxes, don't worry, if you're in Dekalb, they're going up if you just wait it out a bit. After the absurd assessments, you'll get a new soapbox derby as a consolation prize.

I think light rail around CDC/Emory would be neat, and I'd really like to see something like that happen, but now is just not a good time, maybe all the brilliant minds over that way can work out something that isn't tied to SPLOST. If Deal would agree to take down the toll booths on 400 as was supposed to happen a while ago, I could reluctantly get behind this, but that's not going to happen, so I'll be voting no.

I wouldn't vote for T-splost at gunpoint. Narrow minded projects that offer very little help in the end and screw up traffic for years to get there and paid for in a manner that is the worst idea of them all.

T-Splost? Hell no.