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Supporters Call on Legislators to Pass Real Tax
Reform, Not Another Sales Tax Increase.
On Tuesday, May 1, 2001, supporters from over 30 organizations
representing a wide variety of interests came from every corner of the state
to send a message to the Legislators in Nashville calling for tax reform, not
another sales tax increase.
During the morning and early afternoon, local supporters held
"Bon Voyage" events as travelers boarded the Nashville bound buses and vans
in Tri-Cities, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Sewanee, Crossville, Cookeville, Jackson,
and Memphis.
The march in Nashville drew nearly 200 protestors from across
the state calling for tax reform. Wearing life vests and sailor hats, supporters
sent up a very visual "May Day" distress call for a state organizers say is
"49th and Sinking!"
Katherine Osburn of Cookeville read off Tennessee's national rankings
to the crowd, "We are 50th in home and community-based care. We are 49th in
high school graduation rates, down from 46th in 1990. We are 48th in percent
of persons, age 25 and over with a high school degree. We are 48th in percent
of adults with a bachelor's degree. We are 49th in total education spending
per capita. Tennessee deserves better than this!"
Martha Wetteman of Cheatham County adds, "We can't just solve
the state’s budget crisis with even further cuts which threaten education,
health care, clean air and water, our economy, and the quality of life for our
families."
The budget crisis cannot be solved through further increases in
the already high sales tax rate. "The fact is, in the age of the internet, mail-order,
and cross-border shopping, the sales tax simply doesn’t work anymore. And
the higher the sales tax gets, the more incentive there is to avoid it. This
sends Tennessee dollars and jobs to other states," states Rachael Bliss of Kingsport.
After a brief rally at the War Memorial Plaza with speakers Lewis
Donelson of Memphis and Bill Owen of Knoxville, the protestors marched to the
State Capitol carrying signs and chanting, "80% Get a Break," referring to the
fact that under one of the tax reform proposals, 80% of taxpayers would actually
see a tax decrease. "When you count the savings from eliminating the food tax
and reducing the sales tax, it more than offsets any new income tax revenue
for the vast majority of Tennesseans," adds Rachael.
At the Capitol, marchers heard from several organizations supporting
tax reform. At the end of the march, protestors unfurled two long strings of
postcards that each stretched the length of the capitol steps forming a walkway.
Chanda Freeman of Jackson, Martha Wettemann of Nashville, and Johnathan Naples
of Cookeville then walked up the middle carrying a life saver reading, "Save
Our State," that they then placed on the Capitol doorstep.
Rachael concluded, "We are fighting for what’s best for Tennessee
and the people who live here. Legislators have the opportunity before them to
do the right thing and enact tax reform this year. When they find the courage
to do that, not only will they solve the budget problem once and for all, but
they’ll also manage to lower taxes for the majority of Tennesseans."
Supporters of the March are calling for the elimination of the
state food tax, reduction of the sales tax on non-food items, and elimination
of the limited-base Hall Tax which would be replaced by a broad-based income
tax with generous personal deductions, resulting in a net tax reduction for
most Tennesseans.
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