Because of COVID-19, Nashville business owners will likely have their worst year ever, but Mayor John Cooper said at Thursday’s press conference that they and others in the city must still pay dramatically higher property taxes.
As The Tennessee Star reported last month, Nashville Metro Council members voted to impose a 34 percent property tax hike upon city residents.
“As I have said many times before, it is terrible. It is awful. It’s necessary,” Cooper said at Thursday’s press conference.
“The loss of revenue, every single other locality is going to deal with the same problem. The loss of sales tax revenue, of which local government is often built on, requires the shift in revenue, frankly. Otherwise you are going to have massive furloughing of the whole city government.”
Cooper went on to say that Nashville’s new tax rate is below what it was three years ago.
“This is not some spike that is afflicting our local businesses. This is unfortunately having to pull back what was the lowest tax rate in the lowest-taxed state in the lowest-taxed city in America. It’s terrible, and it couldn’t be worse timing for us to do it, but any other course would jeopardize our ability to be in business as a city. One of the things that happened on July 1 is we are open for business as a city. Otherwise we would have run out of cash. We would not be able to pay our employees. We would not be able to pay public health or police or teachers or be in any position to be back to work,” Cooper said.
“I get it. You are able to say it’s the worst possible time. Of course it is. But the history of Nashville budget practices really had put us already in a hole and then the COVID put us into an additional hole. We had to walk back, frankly, an abnormally low tax rate to what is still below our historic rate and below what it was even three years ago.”
As The Star reported last week, Cooper announced the city would go back to the second of its four-phased rollout to reopen the city after COVID-19 hit the United States. Many socially-driven businesses and activities that opened in Phase Three had to temporarily close, including event and entertainment venues. Nashville’s limit on gathering size is now 25. Restaurants moved back from 75 percent capacity to 50 percent capacity.
Cooper said he and Metro Council members had to show leadership on the matter.
“And that is leadership on wearing masks and walking us through the phases to be able to get us back to work. For every business that is having the worst year that they’ve had in years, that is your motivation for asking people to do the right thing in public health,” Cooper said.
“It is in your interests to get us back to work.”
Metro Coronavirus Task Force Chair Alex Jahangir said at Thursday’s conference that Nashville had its worst day of confirmed COVID-19 cases, a tally of 688. The city also had eight confirmed deaths related to the virus, Jahangir said.
Jahangir said it’s always possible Nashville could revert further back, all the way to Phase One, to further flatten the curve.
“I think all options are on the table, frankly,” Jahangir said.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “John Cooper” by John Cooper.
My ex Wife had a saying Your Money, My Money, My Money, My Money. I think the Democrats have the same Saying.
Of course, the Metro budget never decreases. Watch Nashville implode under this leftist creep liar.
‘ “Otherwise you are going to have massive furloughing of the whole city government.” ‘
What a wonderful idea. Let’s start with the Cooper.
Amen!
If you live in Davidson county Tennessee, go to http://www.notax4nash.com (you need the w’s) and either print out and mail this petition or click locations to find a place to where you can go sign them.
If your primary residence is outside of Davidson county, don’t bother. The only signatures that will count are from residents of Davidson county.
If the government is NOT cutting ANYTHING (not increase cuts only) it is just another reason that they will spend MORE. What is not talked about is the reason, during a record surge in growth, that it is necessary at all.
And what exactly is the downside of “massive furloughing of the whole city government”?
Don’t let Cooper put the monkey on your backs! HE is responsible for closing “non-essential” businesses, that killed the cash flow to the city. He is responsible for not cutting Metro spending, in lieu of a 34% tax increase. He is responsible for pushing for such a draconian tax increase!
Do your job Mayor Cooper, and cut excessive, bloated, and corrupt City expenditures! I’m sorry if that will cut off all of your cronies and their buddies.
The people of Nashville need to push back on Daddy Cooper. He is threatening that we could go back to Phase One, but when does he start to anger the people? If he is fine with BLM/Antifa protests he should be fine with those that want to gather in large groups and protest him.
Democrats raise Taxes.
Always and without fail.
Whether more taxes are needed or not, they will raise your taxes. It is in their genes.