Business leaders hear pitch for Ga. transportation tax
9/23/2011
By LOUIE BROGDON
The Brunswick News
Former Georgia House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons, urged local business and community leaders Thursday to support a new tax that would bring $1.5 billion in revenue to Coastal Georgia.
In a meeting hosted by the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce at the Brunswick Country Club, Keen, along with Georgia Chamber of Commerce President Chris Clark, sang the praises of a regional 1 percent transportation sales tax Georgians will vote on during the primary elections in 2012.
The sales tax in Glynn County is currently 7 percent.
Acknowledging that "it's a tough economic environment to pass a 1 cent tax," Keen said the economic development generated by a regional T-SPLOST is worth the extra penny on the dollar.
Glynn County is one of 10 counties in the coastal T-SPLOST region.
The county stands to receive enough proceeds to fund 13 local transportation projects totaling $113 million, if T-SPLOST passes. That would include the widening of Ga. 99 and new aviation terminals at the Brunswick Golden Isles and McKinnon St. Simons Island airports.
State Chamber President Clark said a new tax is a tough sell, especially to business owners, but the projects would bring people to work and give the state a competitive edge when attracting new business.
"We're not a pro-tax organization," Clark said. "In 10 years this is only the second time we have supported a fee increase. But this is going to put people to work."
The tax will be voted on regionally throughout the state.
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8 Comment
Tax
It's hard enough on the elderly people that are living on a fixed income already. NO cost of living raise for several years now, BUT, the prices on food and many other necessities are continually raising. When does it end??? There's no relief in sight so far. These people are the ones who, raised this generation, are getting left by the wayside. It is unfair to keep picking away at people till they can't afford to buy food and litterally die of starvation. There has to be a better way of doing this (getting more money) from the poor folks WHO HAVE already paid their taxes, social security AND medicare for all these years. Even after paying into medicare for all those working years, they are now told that if they want medicare they still have to pay for it. Where did all that money go??
RLW
9/23/2011
Airports
We need a $ 10,000.00 landing tax on each G4 ( exempt if you have ordered a G5 or G650 )
Paulson
9/23/2011
T-Splost
Did I hear Obama say something like this? Are these people nuts. Just listen to what they say, "if we had transportion, we would have jobs" Has Glynn County lost all sense of responsibility??
B. Cave
9/23/2011
Alphabet SPLOST
There appears to be a disturbing trend with these SPLOST campaigns. Do either of the airport terminals even have the traffic to justify these expenditures? Is the Brunswick terminal not grandiose enough already? Were the tax rolls not increased enough by all of the new subdivisions on 99 in order to sufficiently fund any necessary widening project required? How were these projects funded in the past? The taxpayers have been to accomodating in approving these SPLOST requests in the past and our politicians have taken note. By the way is that an R or a D in Majority Leader Keens title??? Perhaps we should propose an F-SPLOST next.
David R-St Simons
9/23/2011
Use that money...RESPONSIBLY
To build a high speed rail from Atlanta-Macon-Savannah-Brunswick-Jax and spread the butter/money and love from one metro area throughout the whole state of Georgia, increase travel, decrease auto traffic, highway wear and tear, and make it so much easir for everyone to get around, create jobs than improve effective use of personnel and efficient use of resources.This would help stabilize the Georgia economy and not just another quick fix band aid to make some more politicians look good for a short time, burdening the tax paying citizens of us all for the long term. Short sightedness has almost always been and the root of our area's socio economic woes, making rich the connected good ole boys who not our friends but our foes. "Good design tells the truth, while poor design tells a lie, one usually related in one way or another to either lack of vision, or of the getting of and abuse of power" from What Good Designs tells Us About Our World and Ourselves By Robert Grudin
J. Calvin Kenney Jr.
9/23/2011
transportation tax
is this the same chamber and county groups of elected leaders in brunswick that said no to an air show next year? i understand that event alone would have brought of millions of dollars in local revenues. now, they want us to pony up another one penny sales tax to support all their lame ideas and political do nothing jobs. i do not think so!
business owner
9/23/2011
Sales Tax Increase
In the article "new aviation terminals at the Brunswick Golden Isles and McKinnon St. Simons Island airports"; first, you need higher passenger counts that would drive airline services to the area. With today’s weak passenger counts, it appears Delta-ASA is close to pulling the plug on the three scheduled flights into BQK. The current Terminal, Airport Director & Commissioner's palace far exceeds any additional commercial aviation needs of the community. A focus and support for the Business & General Aviation needs from the county leadership is what is really needed at the two airports, not additional sales taxes!
GCATA
9/23/2011
Transportation tax
Why are we gonna let them spend ANY money on either airport?NO WAY does either generate revenue.The community has NOTHING to gain from this.
KennyL
9/23/2011