City gives DNC host committee pass on gas tax

Rocky Mountain News ^ | Jul 22 2008 | Daniel J. Chacon

[fidelio]

The committee hosting the Democratic National Convention is using the city's gas pumps to fill up on fuel, avoiding state and federal highway taxes, officials said today.

"There's something there that just doesn't seem right to me because, in a sense, you're saying then that the officials who pass the laws are not willing to live by them, and that concerns me," Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz said.

The issue came up during the council's weekly meeting with Mayor John Hickenlooper when the Public Works Department requested authorization to be reimbursed by the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee for use of "fueling facilities, fuel and car washes."

[fidelio]

I thought a suspension of the gas tax was a gimmick?

[Old Sarge]

City gives DNC host committee pass on gas tax

And the jokes just write themselves...

[Diogenesis]

[Tarpon]

So who pays?

[mewzilla]

Bump fer later...

[NormsRevenge]

the officials who pass the laws are not willing to live by them..

Well DUhh..

[unixfox]

And to think that Congress had to actually pass a law that said they had to obey the very laws they created!!

What a pathetic joke.

[Cementjungle]

A glimpse of the future under Democrat rules. Everyone working for the “party” pays one price for things while the “common folk” get to pay higher for things. Just like the good old days in the USSR.

[mewzilla]

‘Rats to the rest of us: Only the little people pay taxes.

[shotgun]

As a Public Works Director in charge of my city’s fuel contract this makes no sense. They are obviously going to get a break on the price of fuel if the city owned tanks were filled say in April or May, but the price of each gallon of fuel delivered includes all taxes, plus a profit of about 7 cents/gal. Unless Denver is going to go back a strip all of the taxes out then send them the bill just for fuel. I am sure the folks in the Finance Department and the State Auditor may have something to say about that...

[nmh]

HOw come the DNC gets a GAS holiday and we don’t?

[sharkhawk]

I think the refinery delivers gas to the City public works tanks (where they fill up police cars, fire trucks etc), Colorado doesn’t require the municipality to pay local and State taxes to the refiner. City lets DNC gas up for cost.

[shotgun]

thanks, I read the article after my post. Must be nice to live in a benevolent state that doesn’t charge its taxes to the municipalities, unlike here in the Peoples Repulic of Washington.

[eggman]

Sounds like the State Auditor would still have something to look into here. I’m sure the would be some law being broken by the city reselling gas that they didn’t pay state tax on.

[smoketree]

Doesn’t this amount to a campaign contribution?
Are they going to give the same deal to republicans visiting for the convention?

[Uncle Miltie]

That has to be a contribution in kind, which is illegal for the giving agency to give, and illegal for the DNC to accept, and required to disclose to the FEC.

This is a scandal.

Everyone is breaking the law here.

[onlylewis]

Do as they say not as they do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If con is the opposite of pro, doesn't that mean congress is the opposite of progress??

[SECURE AMERICA]

Democrats to American citizens. Shut up and pay the tax.
Democrats to themselves.
Us pay? You gottsa be out of your mind..........

[Chode]

RATS delenda est...

[LouD]

Absolutely right. This is completely against campaign finance rules. It is a contribution in kind to a political party from the taxpayers. People should go to jail over this.