www.TnTaxRevolt.org
 
Long story short, TTR needs funds for legal fees to help fight for the rights of every taxpayer in TN. If you can't help with $10-$100 we certainly understand but please read this email anyway to find out what the heck is going on .....it is not a pretty picture. Long story short, we need help. If you can help PLEASE DO!!
Case 1: Last November, nine wheel tax referendums were on the ballot across the state. All but one failed by a collective margin exceeding 65%. The only wheel tax in the entire state that passed was in Knox County. The ONLY reason the Knox County wheel tax passed was because the county commission, when it became obvious that enough signatures would be gathered to force a referendum on the wheel tax, passed a property tax increase which would only take effect IF the wheel tax failed. Knox County Government very effectively intimidated their own voters with this tactic.
 
Turns out Knox County could NOT have levied a property tax increase after Oct. 1 because, as the Attorney General has now told Dickson County HERE:
 
http://www.dicksonherald.com/news/stories/20041208/tax.shtml
 
it would have been ILLEGAL!!. Taxpayers in Knox County were intimidated by their own government into voting for the wheel tax by a bogus property tax threat. TTR simply didn't have the resources to help challenge this in court. We missed a huge opportunity.
 
Case 2: Now, we face an even bigger insult to taxpayers and we simply MUST respond or taxpayers and TTR will command absolutely NO respect. In Carter County (Elizabethtown) two very courageous men, Ralph Potter and Sam McKinney, lead a petition drive to put the local option sales tax on the ballot.
 
They gathered over 5,000 signatures. They were required to gather only 3,016. When the local election commission examined the signatures they certified only 2,915. Just 100 short of the required number. Ralph and Sam then asked to see the signatures which were rejected and found over 600 which they believe are clearly legitimate signatures. WE MUST HELP RALPH AND SAM TAKE THIS ISSUE TO COURT. TTR and other taxpayer groups will have ZERO credibility unless we fight for the right to petition our government. Much of the legal work has been done pro bono or free but much work needs to be done and the cost will be around $20,000 if the case is appealed.
 
Please send $10-$100 or more to:
 
Tennessee Tax Revolt, Inc.
4741 Trousdale Dr. Suite 8
Nashville, TN 37220
 
or use PayPal on the web site: www.TnTaxRevolt.org

If you have questions please call us at: 615-847-8050
Here is an article from the Johnson City Press about Ralph and Sam
 
2 Carter men push referendum to repeal local option sales tax
Ralph Potter and Sam McKinney hold petitions with 4,250 names in their drive for a referendum. (Ron Campbell / Johnson City Press)
By John Thompson
Press Staff Writer
jthompson@johnsoncitypress.com

ELIZABETHTON — Two of the most talked about men in Carter County these days are Buck Mountain residents Ralph Potter and Sam McKinney. They led the petition drive to get a referendum on the repeal of the 2.25 percent local option sales tax on the November ballot. The Election Commission is currently checking the names to see if it qualifies.

While plenty of people have had their say on what good or harm their referendum would cause the county and the city of Elizabethton, the two men have not said much about why they spent so much time and effort to obtain 4,250 signatures.

“Our basic thing was to get accountability in local government,” Potter said. He said he was frustrated when he tried to find out where tax money was being spent in the county. “What we need is a spreadsheet that shows where the money came in today and where it went out. Each day. Then we will know where our money is being spent.”

Potter said the taxpayers are paying the bills, but government officials are not answering to the taxpayers. “This is where the people can step in and say ‘enough is enough’ ” McKinney said.

The two men started thinking about the issue after a wheel tax referendum failed in the county. They wondered why the voters had always been asked to vote on referendums that raised taxes, but never on a referendum that lowered taxes.

As far as they know, Potter and McKinney are exploring new ground in the state. Potter said there have been lots of statements of gloom and doom if their referendum passes, with politicians saying it would ruin the schools, to budget officials saying it would mean a 65-cent increase in the property tax rate for the county.

“They can’t even pass a 44-cent increase, so I don’t see how they can pass a 65-cent increase,” Potter said, referring to the county’s difficulty in passing a budget.

Most of the criticism of the proposed referendum centers on the impact the tax cut would have on the school system. Potter and McKinney agree the tax cut would cause drastic changes for the schools, but they believe that could be a good thing.

“We are not trying to kill the school system, we just want accountability,” McKinney said. “There are school systems all over the U.S. that are too political,” Potter said.

Despite President Bush’s No Child Left Behind initiative, he said it is still a matter of where a child comes from that determines the quality of education received. As an example, they point to the Carter County School Board’s decision to build a new high school in Stoney Creek.

Potter said Unaka is no older than Happy Valley or Cloudland. He estimated the cost of replacing all these high schools at $100 million when Elizabethton’s share of bond receipts is figured in.

Based on the number of students, Potter said the county has too many teachers. “We need to consolidate,” Potter said. “We need to go up to Rittertown somewhere and build one school for the whole county. It is nice to have neighborhood schools, but we can’t afford it.”

“If we can get rid of all the bad teachers, there should be enough money left to give raises to the good teachers,” McKinney said.

While there has been plenty of talk about how bad the loss of revenue would be for the city and county, Potter and McKinney say no one really knows what will happen if the referendum passes.

“I don’t know what will happen,” Potter said. “This has never been done before in the state. Never have the people in Carter County had the chance to lower their own taxes.”

Potter and McKinney are awaiting the results from the Election Commission. They turned in 4,250 signatures. As of Monday afternoon, the commission staff has counted 2,150 good signatures, but the petition must have 3,016 good signatures to qualify.

The two Roan Mountain men said they would not be too upset if the petition fails to have enough registered voters.

“This was a shot across the bow,” Potter said. “We got their attention.”

County Finance Director Jason Cody said he understands how Potter and McKinney got so many people to sign the petition, but he wonders how many would be willing to see county services cut so deeply.

“I understand people want lower taxes, but this will have an impact on every area of the county — there will be less patrols by the sheriff’s department, doing away with many programs in the schools, such as the extracurricular activities. Whenever I hear from the community, they are always wanting more services, not less.”