By Bill Lamb
Source: WDRB
The Local Investments for Transformation – or LIFT — tax is a proposal to amend Kentucky’s constitution to allow citizens to bypass state approval and vote on the funding of local projects through an extra one percent sales tax that would expire once the project is paid for.
It easily passed the state House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support. But so far, Senate Republicans aren’t even allowing a committee vote on this important bill. And that’s just wrong.
For too long Kentucky has relied on failed, top-down management. But while Republicans say they’re for local control and economic development, they’re doing nothing to support that claim in this instance.
This is a pro-job, pro-development, pro-local control idea supported by Kentucky’s business community. How can it not get any movement in a Republican-controlled State Senate? Could it be because the Frankfort insider crowd is getting nervous that some control might actually move away from Frankfort?
Look — this plan is the purest form of democracy because it’ll simply give us the right to vote yes for small taxes that will benefit projects we want, or no for a project we don’t support.
If that sounds simple, that’s because it is. It’s time for our Republican Leadership to grow a spine and lead, instead of timidly worrying about pleasing Tea Partiers.
Call and tell us what you think.
I’m Bill Lamb and that’s my Point of View.
“Putting the local-tax amendment on the November 2014 statewide ballot is a no-brainer. If local people want to levy local taxes on themselves, they should be able to.”
“This is a way to keep dollars in the area, to come up with a diverse slate of projects that sync up with the long-term plans of the community and get voted on by the people”
“If Louisville could adopt a 1% Local Option Tax, it would impose a minimal burden, but would raise over 90 million dollars a year.”
“Local option makes all the sense in the world. Offering citizens the opportunity to vote on investing in their community is how our country ought to operate.”