Bill Foster Pushes Tax Break for Felon

The Gay Democrats are doing that?

Yes.

[Tom]

Foster's Flat Tax proposal has generated more and more opposition while he's so far deflected criticism to firefighters, police and their unions.

Monday's editorial points to this.

It reduces elected officials' discretion at the same time it hands leverage to the firefighters union, already one of the city's most politically influential special interests. What's next? A police fee? A citywide parks fee?

Actually the next step is more likely a street lighting fee. Turning the lights out in areas that can't afford to pay the light bill is not much of a crime fighting strategy but it will save the richest 1% from paying a fair share.

Please sign the petition to ask council to drop this dishonest, regressive new tax. http://signon.org/sign/stop-unfair-s...cp&r_by=100906

Opponents have made it clear that this tax has nothing to do with the fire department, but when you falsely name it the Fire Readiness Fee confusion is understandable.

Big business and the wealthy will get a huge property tax break on the backs of the poor and non-profits with a proposed "fire fee".

Don't blame this unpopular new tax on firefighters, this "fire fee" is not directed for fire protection. The "fee" is a tax to provide funds to balance a $10 million shortfall anticipated in the FY 2013 budget and allow the city to continue piling up excessive reserves.

The city has provided a hardship exemption only for property worth over $10 million so the wealthiest can shift their tax burden to the poor and middle class.

http://www.pennyforpinellas.net/2012...unfair-st.html

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/edit...cle1246418.ece

[Tom]

Is Bill Foster Flip-Flopping?
by Gene "Doc" Webb

Foster is proving once again it is easier to grandstand than fix the problems.

The Council has one more opportunity to kill this regressive fee/tax. Just vote it down, with no talking, debating, over-thinking, or legal mumbo-jumbo from the lawyers on the Council.

http://oldnortheast.patch.com/blog_p...uspatc00000001

Please sign the petition- http://signon.org/sign/stop-unfair-st-pete-fire-2

[Tom]

St. Petersburg budget shortfall includes money spent on RNC party at the Trop
By Mark Puente, Times Staff Writer

The city is $5.2 million over budget this year, including nearly $600,000 in expenses for hosting a welcome party for the Republican National Convention.

The tab comes after Mayor Bill Foster repeatedly declared that taxpayers wouldn't be on the hook for the Sunday bash at Tropicana Field. The money is on top of $1 million in police costs that Tampa agreed to give the city from a $50 million federal grant it received for convention security....

While Foster crunches final figures for that $482 million budget, the council must decide on how to generate new revenue.

The group could decide to raise property taxes, dip into reserves, or implement Foster's proposed fire readiness fee.

That would charge all property owners $75 per parcel and 23 cents per $1,000 of a lot's appraised structural value. Critics lambaste the fee as a regressive tax on the poor designed to help wealthy homeowners and businesses save thousands of dollars in property taxes.

A decision on the 2013 budget won't be made until the City Council holds budget hearings on Sept. 13 and 27.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgo...-party/1248871

Is Bill Foster Flip-Flopping?
by Gene "Doc" Webb

Foster is proving once again it is easier to grandstand than fix the problems.

The Council has one more opportunity to kill this regressive fee/tax. Just vote it down, with no talking, debating, over-thinking, or legal mumbo-jumbo from the lawyers on the Council.

http://oldnortheast.patch.com/blog_p...uspatc00000001

Please sign the petition- http://signon.org/sign/stop-unfair-st-pete-fire-2

The article is written by a disgruntled do nothing that is a complete moron. Once they found that out they got rid of his butt. He drained the city payroll to do nothing.

[Tom]

I don't know about all that but now he is applying keen insights to help us get the most from our budget. Besides your past disagreement with him to find any thing wrong with his article? Do you think Foster is not flip-flopping?

Do you wonder why a guy with a felony conviction for giving a politician a suitcase of hundred dollar bills would get a special tax break from the mayor?

I support the petition and ask all to sign it.
http://signon.org/sign/stop-unfair-st-pete-fire-2

I don't know about all that but now he is applying keen insights to help us get the most from our budget. Besides your past disagreement with him to find any thing wrong with his article? Do you think Foster is not flip-flopping?

Do you wonder why a guy with a felony conviction for giving a politician a suitcase of hundred dollar bills would get a special tax break from the mayor?

I support the petition and ask all to sign it.
http://signon.org/sign/stop-unfair-st-pete-fire-2

Tom...What the He!! are you talking about?? You keep posting about felons and suitcases of money, then attaching links against the fire fee. I've figured out your opposed to the fire fee but not the felon thing. Between you and Doc Webb you're confusing the he!! out of us regular little people.