[imc-st.louis] Green Party Urges City Voters to Reject "Proposition S"

[Fitzdon at aol.com]

Gateway Green Alliance/Green Party of St. Louis
P.O. Box 8094, St. Louis MO  63156
314-727-8554  E-mail: fitzdon at aol.com  www.gateway-greens.org

For immediate release: January 28, 2008

Contact: Don Fitz, 314-727-8554; Daniel Romano, 771-8576

Need to get audit results before raising taxes, group says

Green Party Urges City Voters to Reject "Proposition S"

January 28, 2008 - St. Louis, Missouri.  The Green Party of St. Louis is 
urging St. Louis voters to reject Proposition S, the half-cent sales tax increase 
that will be on the Feb.5 ballot in the city of St. Louis. The group says city 
voters need to get the results of the state audit of city finances before 
approving any tax increases.

The Green Party successfully petitioned Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee 
last year for a state audit of the City. The audit was recently begun by the 
auditor's office.

"City voters would be smart to wait until the state audit of city finances is 
completed before approving any tax hikes," said Don Fitz. "It would be a good 
idea to first know how tax dollars are currently being spent." 

Members of the Green Party began the petition for the audit in 2006. The 
group claimed the City has not given full disclosure of how childhood lead 
poisoning prevention money is being spent. They also have additional concerns about 
City expenditures, such as how HUD block grant money has been spent, that they 
have made known to the state auditor.

"In particular," says Fitz, "we are skeptical of giving additional tax 
dollars to a mayor who has shown gross fiscal irresponsibility by building up 
downtown at the expense of neighborhoods and schools."

Nationally, US cities spend over $2 billion of taxpayer money to subsidize 
baseball, basketball, football and hockey.  The Green Party believes that 
taxpayers should find out from the audit exactly how much of the St. Louis budget is 
going to private sports stadiums before approving tax hikes.

The Green Party also objects to sales taxes because they are regressive.  
According to Daniel Romano, "Slay is hoping that St. Louisans who are better off 
financially will vote to force the poorest in the City to pay for tax breaks 
for real estate developers.  This is just wrong."


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