Just last year, council, by a 5-1 vote, passed the now infamous Rain Tax. Every incumbent council candidate running for re-election voted for the Rain Tax then told people it was mandated which is just not true. Only the city council mandated it and there's no doubt if the same council stays in place they will increase the Rain Tax and pass more new and higher taxes.

Now all the incumbent council members running for re-election have voted to place a sales tax increase on the November ballot. Just be glad they couldn't pass it themselves or it would have already been passed. This tax increase, like so many others is billed to be "for the children". If you believe that, you probably deserve to pay higher taxes.

The sales tax increase on the ballot will not pass but just the fact that city officials try to deceive the voters tells you about all you need to know. The last time a sales tax increase was on a ballot was in back in 2008, when county commission added a half cent sales tax increase to the ballot. That increase was also stated to be for "for the children". That measure was defeated by a nearly 70% margin by county voters. I suspect the city voters will take the same position on higher taxes.

If you need any evidence that, if passed, all the sales tax increase won't go to the schools, just read the ballot measure wording.     

Do you see any language here that says all the sales tax increase, two million dollars per year, will go to the schools? You do not. In fact there's no language here that would require the city to give the school system hardly any of the millions involved. City officials could claim that a couple hundred dollars would be enough to "improve security". If the sales tax increase was truly going to go to the schools to "improve security", why didn't the ballot measure say that all the revenue from the increase would go to the schools?

Want a little more evidence? Let's see what the law says.

TCA 67-6-712 (2)(b) If the city referendum passes, the city receives all revenues generated by the increase above the county level; the first half is not earmarked for education.

Just like the Rain Tax, city voters are being mislead as to the reason for higher taxes. When elected officials have to lie to their voters, there's serious problems.

Lenoir City does not have a revenue problem, they have a critical spending problem and a massive debt problem. If city voters don't make some changes in the next election, things are only going to get worse.

Repeal the Rain Tax

Vote Against Higher Sales Tax