Did anyone tell you….

That voting against the TSPLOST was voting for a 30% penalty tax anyway?

:::: Crickets::::

I believe it’s come as a rather large surprise to folks who thought that voting down the 1% across the board tax would mean there’d be no increase in taxes. Bwahahahhaha nope.

It’s being reported here, here and here that a 30% “poison pill” was built into the 2010 legislation.

The MDJ reporter sums it up nicely:

The Transportation Investment Act mandates that if a special district (a region such as metro Atlanta) fails to approve the tax then “the local governments in such special district shall be required to provide a 30 percent match for any local maintenance and improvement grants by the Department of Transportation…for at least 24 months and until such time as a special district sales and use tax is approved.”

I’m not going to weigh in on the merits, or problems with the July 31st vote but I am very troubled that in all the bruhaha about it, I could swear very few folks were bring this issue into the discussion. I’ve mentioned this to a couple folks much smarter than me, and yeah they looked at me like I was natural blonde.

I first heard about this on NPR friday on my way to the epic Happy Hour, and when I went back to do a bit more research about it, there was one measly hit on this issue, and it was a blog comment not even in the story.  All mentions  were AFTER July 31st. So yeah thanks for that MSM.

When asked about the poison pill, Sen. Chip “I was for it before I was against it” Rogers says they’ll work to repeal that portion of the bill in the 2013 Legislative session.  Cough, sure you will.

I lay this directly on the doorstep of the Georgia GOP. You now own this legislation, it’s outcome, it’s penalties- lock stock and barrel.

Enjoy.