Citizens of Lamar and Pike counties should be vigilant in the coming months as projects are prioritized for transportation SPLOST initiatives to be placed on the ballot in 2012.
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I will not support this measure. I would only support a T-Splost if the money came back to the county that it was collected in. I would prefer that the gas tax be increased as a way of raising money for transportation. We do have one of the lowest in the nation, but with the gas tax increase the users would pay a proportional fair share and those that travel less would pay less. The trucking industry has a very strong lobby and push to keep gas taxes down, but where is most of the transportation money spent. It goes to major construction projects that benefit the truckers and other major users, not out to county type roads. Where does most of the road damage come from, you guessed it Trucks. I don't want to appear to be picking on the truckers, but a 20 ton load causes a lot more damage than a 2 ton load. Collect more from the major users of the roads thru gas and fuel tax and not sales tax on every dollar we spend.
What makes me angry about these additional taxes is the fact that they are being offered as a solution to a problem that was caused by the misappropriation of the funds that were already there for that purpose.
There has been a DOT for the last 40 years and road taxes too but the taxes and pay to support that organization has not been used to pay for road improvements. It get's lumped in the general fund and spent however the politicians see fit.
This entire TSPOLST garbage is driven for one purpose. To fix the sewers in Atlanta. When the sewer system began in Atlanta, taxes were raised in order to pay for maintenance of the system. That money was put into the general fund and wasted. Now they have to tap us to make up for the last 40 years of letting the system deteriorate.
There has been a DOT for the last 40 years and road taxes too but the taxes and pay to support that organization has not been used to pay for road improvements. It get's lumped in the general fund and spent however the politicians see fit.
This entire TSPOLST garbage is driven for one purpose. To fix the sewers in Atlanta. When the sewer system began in Atlanta, taxes were raised in order to pay for maintenance of the system. That money was put into the general fund and wasted. Now they have to tap us to make up for the last 40 years of letting the system deteriorate.