Monday, November 1, 2010

Are Guilford County, the 1/4-Cent Makes Sense Steering Committee and endorsing organizations misleading voters?

Should the 1/4-Cent Makes Sense Steering Committee
and the 1/4-Cent Makes Sense endorsing organizations
disclose information from the the tax study they are using to promote the sales tax
includes basic necessities
and what could be hundreds of millions of non-taxed goods
like furniture sold out of state?
.
Organizations Endorsing the Sales Tax

Guilford Merchants Association,
of which some of whose members may profit from increased municipal debt

Guilford County League of Women Voters

NAIOP Piedmont Triad Chapter
of which some of whose members may profit from increased municipal debt

George C. Simkins Jr. Political Action Committee,
of which some of whose members may profit from increased municipal debt

Guilford County Council of PTAs Board

High Point Partners,
of which some of whose members may profit from increased municipal debt

Guilford Education Alliance

Greensboro Partnership, which gave the Quarter Cent Tax Committee $10,500,
and whose Action Greensboro gave the Bonds for Schools Committee $70,000

TREBIC, of which some of whose members may profit from increased municipal debt

Greensboro Regional Realtors Association
of which some of whose members may profit from increased municipal debt

High Point Regional Association of Realtors
of which some of whose members may profit from increased municipal debt

Greensboro Chamber of Commerce
of which some of whose members may profit from increased municipal debt

Action Greensboro, who gave the Bonds for Schools Committee $70,000

Triad Apartment Association
.
No impact on basic necessities.

The sales tax increase won’t be charged on basic necessities such as unprepared food,
prescription medicine or gasoline.

These items are exempt.

1/4-Cent Makes Sense Steering Committee
1/4-Cent Makes Sense endorsing organizations
.
1/4-Cent Makes Sense Steering Committee

Jim Morgan, Co-Chair

Steve Bowden, Co-Chair, Simkins PAC,
Greensboro Chamber Foundation, which Gave the Quarter Cent Tax Committee $10,000
Greensboro Partnership Board Members (partly publicly funded), which gave the Quarter Cent Tax Committee $10,500.

Pat Danahy Co-Chair
Greensboro Partnership
Co-Chair, 1/4-Cent Makes Sense Steering Committee,
President of the Greensboro Partnership and Board Member,
whose Action Greensboro gave the Bonds for Schools Committee $70,000
which also gave the Quarter Cent Tax Committee $10,500
whose Greensboro Economic Development Alliance recieves taxpayer money
whose board members include Linda Shaw and Nancy Vaughan
TREBIC MEMBER
Downtown Greensboro Board Member

Mary Skenes, Treasurer, Realtor,
whose husband is a developer and former city councilman
and both may profit from increased municipal debt

Margaret Arbuckle

Robert "Bob" Brown

Roy Carroll
TREBIC MEMBER
Greensboro Partnership Board Member, which gave the Quarter Cent Tax Committee $10,500
who has recieved millions of taxpayer subsidies,
whose employee Al Leonard serves on the publicly funded Downtown Greensboro
who both may profit from increased municipal debt

George Clopton

Lora Cubbage

Tom Dayvault

Shirley Frye

Maurice Hull

Henry Isaacson
Isaacson Isaacson Sheridan & Fountain
TREBIC MEMBER
Supported Jim Kee in 2009
Jill Isaacson gave $500 to the Bonds for Schools Committee

Skip Alston, Simkins PAC,
whose fellow Simkins PAC member Steve R. Bowden
serves on the board of the Greensboro Partnership,
which gave the Quarter Cent Tax Committee $10,500
and the Greensboro Chamber Foundation,
which Gave the Quarter Cent Tax Committee $10,000

Yvonne Johnson

Dan O'Shea, Fairway Outdoor Advertising

Rev. Clarence Shuford, President of the Pulpit Forum of Clergy

Rev. Robert J. Williams, The Williams Memorial CME Church
.
If the News & Record reports that "county officials" say property taxes need to rise 8 cents
for all the debt the County Commissioners want to borrow,
and 8 cents x $4 million = $32 million to "pay down the bond debt,"
and Guilford County's 2011 budget deficit looks to be about $73 million,
is the electorate not being told about a potential $41 million gap?
.
$73 million - $32 million = $41 million

$41 million divided by $4 million per 1 cent property tax increase = 10.25 cents
.
Could the 8 cent tax increase really be 18.25 cents,
when the rest of Guilford County's budget is taken into account?

Was the Greensboro News & Record aware of this tax discrepancy,
when it endorsed the quarter cent tax increase?

Should the News & Record disclose that Editorial Board Member Robin Saul,
is a Board Member of the (partly publicly funded) Greensboro Partnership,
which gave the Quarter Cent Tax Committee $10,500
whose Action Greensboro gave the Bonds for Schools Committee $70,000?

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