Americans for Prosperity (AFP) – Tennessee members announced this week they want volunteers to help them educate Davidson County residents about the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act.
The referendum, if voters approve it, would roll back Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s 34 to 37 percent tax increase.
AFP members also told supporters in an email this week that they would knock on doors in the Hermitage area on Friday and Saturday. They also said that volunteers should visit GrassrootsNashville.com
“Years of fiscal mismanagement, waste, corporate welfare, and flush benefits for elected officials have resulted in $3.6 billion dollars of debt for the city of Nashville. As a result, Metro officials and Mayor Cooper forced a 34 percent property tax hike on the backs of families and small businesses across the city last year,” AFP members told supporters on their website.
“Despite the fiscal nightmare Nashville finds itself in, there is a way out of this mess and a solution that would bring some fiscal responsibility for years to come. The Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act (NTPA) could revert the property tax rate to what it was in 2019 and limit property tax rate increases to 3 percent every year without approval by a vote of the people. We need your help to place guardrails around Metro government’s outrageous spending habits and ensure fiscal stewardship of our tax dollars.”
Cooper said voter control over property tax rollbacks and increases is unconstitutional – and voters are uninformed for supporting it. The mayor made this assertion during a Wednesday press conference explaining Metro’s new budget.
The mayor responded to reporter questions about what potential consequences would occur if the taxpayer referendum were to pass, and what the city would do about the potential financial blow. Cooper said government officials have the ultimate control and final say on that matter. He noted that the 34 to 37 percent property tax increase last year “never really was that high.” Cooper said that community upset over the increase was no longer relevant because “that is so last year – that is so 2020.”
Various unions, religious organizations, the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville Visitor Convention Bureau, and the Greater Nashville Realtors Association oppose the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
