ATLANTA - The Libertarian Party of Atlanta needs your help to stop the city council from raising our property tax
rate by 42 percent! Raising taxes during a recession is terrible public policy and will not lead to long term
economic growth. Only by reducing taxes, fees and regulations, can we achieve the goal of real economic growth,
and real prosperity for all citizens.
Nevertheless, radicals on the city council are poised to ram through a massive tax hike this week!
This tax increase will raise the average Atlanta property tax bill by $240 per year.
The city’s portion of property taxes only accounts for one quarter of the total Atlanta tax bill, this tax hike
will be in addition to any increase in school taxes.
From 2000 through 2007, the city saw a 113 percent increase in property tax collections while only seeing
a population growth of 25 percent.
To stop this potentially devastating property tax hike, we need to focus pressure on the following city finance
committee members:
Jim Maddox – (404) 330-6054 – jmaddox@atlantaga.gov
Felicia Moore – (404) 330-6044 – fmoore@atlantaga.gov
Clair Muller – (404) 330-6051 – cmuller@atlantaga.gov
Howard Shook – (404) 330-6050 – hshook@atlantaga.gov
Carla Smith – (404) 330-6039 – csmith@atlantaga.gov
Cleta Winslow – (404) 330-6047 – cwinslow@atlantaga.gov
Every vote will be key in determining whether these tax hikes pass or fail. CALL AND EMAIL THESE COUNCIL
MEMBERS TODAY!
Citizens can also attend a public hearing about the proposed tax hike on June 18th at 9:00AM in council chamber
on the second floor of City Hall.
In this time of economic hardship, the Council should cut wasteful spending, provide adequate basic services and
make the tough choices necessary to balance the city’s budget without raising taxes.
Thank you for your support. With enough public outcry against this, we can and will defeat this tax hike scheme.
ATLANTA - Earlier today, the Atlanta City council voted 8-7 to approve a property tax increase. This increase will raise the average property owner’s tax bill $240. The Libertarian Party of Atlanta today issued the following statement in response to that action:
The Libertarian Party of Atlanta is extremely disappointed that in this troubled economy our elected officials have refused to make the tough decisions necessary to avoid raising taxes. It is extremely irresponsible for the Mayor and Council to view the budget crisis as a “revenue problem” instead of as a spending problem. Now Atlanta property owners are forced to tighten their belts to find the money to pay these additional taxes.
We would like to applaud the courageous votes of opposition to the increase by Cleta Winslow, Howard Shook, Claire Muller, Jim Maddox, Mary Norwood, H. Lamar Willis, and Kwanza Hall. Their acts of fiscal responsibility will be remembered when taxpayers go to the polls this fall.
ATLANTA - The Libertarian Party of Atlanta is deeply disturbed by the actions of the Atlanta Police Department (APD) when they raided popular Atlanta gay bar, The Eagle on September 10th. . In June 2009 according to statistics published by the APD, 331 crimes against persons were committed and there were 3,379 crimes against a property reported. The APD should be using their officers to protect the citizens of Atlanta, not raiding a private club containing a group of consenting adults.
The government has no right to determine what is a permissible activity within a private space between consenting adults. The Atlanta Police acted in a manner that would have been common in a different age. The Libertarian Party of Atlanta believes that all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, preference or gender identity, deserve to be treated respectfully by the government and its agents.
It is to this end that we call for a public apology from Mayor Franklin and the resignation of Chief Pennington for this egregious abuse of government power and the rights of individuals.
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The Libertarian Party of Atlanta is committed to the establishment of liberty as the central focus of political debate. As citizens of Atlanta, we primarily concentrate on the issues that directly affect our city, striving to bring liberty and individual freedom into focus for our local government officials. We are an active group determined to make a difference. If you believe in our mission, we want you join our team and become a part of the change that must come to Atlanta and the Nation.
If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Brad Ploeger, please contact Brad at (404) 788-5970 or email him at bploeger@lpatlanta.org