Posted on 05/05/2020 1:19:30 PM PDT by stickandrudder
Democrats never miss an opportunity to stick it to the American people with taxes — no matter the situation.
And that is precisely what the mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, proposed doing while many of his constituents are out of work.
Mayor John Cooper pushed for a 31.7 percent property tax increase and major cuts because, he said, the city is faced with “the greatest financial challenge” it has had in a lifetime, the Tennessean reported.
“This is a crisis budget,” he said as he gave a frightening outlook for the financial future of the city.
And he is correct: This is likely the “greatest financial challenge” the city has faced in modern history.
But it is also the greatest financial challenge many of his city’s residents have faced in a lifetime, and raising taxes on them to that degree is not going to help.
“Cooper’s $2.44 billion budget proposal is about $115 million more than this year’s budget,” the Tennessean reported.
“After two deals to bring in a quick influx of cash faltered last year, Nashville’s house of cards collapsed, leading to a $42 million shortfall.”
Nashville was in a financial hole before it was hit with a major storm and then the coronavirus pandemic.
City grants to nonprofits would bear the brunt of Cooper’s proposed new budget, the Tennessean reported. The mayor had ruled out cuts to cost-of-living adjustments for city employees.
“In the end, hard, hard decisions have to be made,” he said. “Everybody is sacrificing in this budget.”
But while city employees will be keeping their jobs, property-owning taxpayers will be taken to the woodshed by the proposed budget.
“It’s an insult to small businesses in Nashville that are literally at best on their knees, but most are on the ground. It’s like getting kicked in the gut with a steel-toed boot,” local restaurant owner Will Newman told WKRN-TV.
“This will absolutely crush whatever restaurants are left, crush it. Small businesses in Nashville are on life support and you know our plea now is to metro council: Do the right thing and propose an alternate budget that is balanced in its approach and not shocking to the core.”
District 19 Councilman Freddie O’Connell said he has received many calls from restaurant owners who are concerned about the proposed increase.
“Thinking about a sharp property tax increase right now is really, really troubling to me,” he said.
“A small business by sometime next year is probably going to see their rent increase as they also try and deal with an economy that’s struggling to regain its footing.”
No one who lives in a city with a Democratic mayor should ever be surprised when tax increases are proposed.
The simple solution to eliminate that issue is to stop voting for Democrats.
Time for serious cut-backs at all levels of the municipal government, including retirement obligations.
Reset....Mr. Mayor.
Welcome to the greatest financial challenge, Nashville’s residents reply back to him. So sad, too bad, no mon, no fun. BTW, we want more services.
That’s an excellent way to ensure you are not Mayor again come next election cycle.
What is not on the table for cuts is the $250 million + professional soccer stadium.
If Nashville is like a lot of blue cities, city workers and their welfare clients are enough to control most election. City workers’ pay is being increased, and I imagine that welfare programs are untouched. They will continue to vote for fleecing everyone else.
Absolutely NO REASON for a city as vibrant as Nashville is to have financial problems. Two words: Mismanagement and Corruption.
There ought to be a law against being a Democrat.
My Response:
Ballot initiative mandating all public employee’s get a 90 day unpaid furlough, then a 25% cut in Salary, elimination of Health Insurance, they can sign up for Obamacare.
wardaddy can attest to the huge jump in Nashville property taxes or the past decade, especially for small businesses. One restaurant owner’s property taxes went for $13,000 in 2013 to $55,000 last year. If this goes through, his property taxes will be over $72,000 a year, which is more than his mortgage payment.
“City grants to nonprofits would bear the brunt of Cooper’s proposed new budget, the Tennessean reported. “
Progressive looting of the taxpayer.
When Democrats start singing the blues raising taxes is all they see to get out of their funk. Like a down, and outer sipping a bottle wrapped in brown paper bag they tilt their heads back, and utter those famous words Democrats are so well known for: “just raise taxes”.
So far the Financial pain of this pandemic has been exclusively bore by private sector employees and small business owners.
The Government types & workers think they are immune, but they are not.
Just see how fast they open the economy when their see tax revenue crash.
a 31.7 percent property tax increase and major cuts...
SO, the folks that have lost their jobs can just absorb a massive tax hike?
Major cuts? Guess where that will be .
Police and fire.
Same mentality in big cities all over.
Cue the housing crisis.
Where does he think the money is coming from when all those people are out of work? It’s just like DemonRats to kick people when they’re down.
“In the end, hard, hard decisions have to be made,” he said. “Everybody is sacrificing in this budget.”
Right. Everybody is sacrificing. Except city employees
As someone else mentioned upthread, it looks like it's time to cut the budgets of fire, police and libraries. Not that I have any problem with any or all of these being cut, but sadly, they'll be the only thing on the table. 'Outreach' for faggots and other liberal causes will be off the table as well. You can probably say goodbye to the idea of having any potholes taken care of unless you live on the same street as a politician. I'm sure they'll have plenty of room though for folks who check how high your grass has grown.
govt workers never ever suffer.....they always get paid...working, not working, it doesn’t matter.....
other people have fled to places like Franklin or Spring Hill, etc....
Nashville could very well turn into a Cleveland or a Baltimore if they're not careful....
govt workers and their retirees are immune....don’t full your self....
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