NOTICE:

The regular TAUT meeting is on the second Tuesday of each month. The next scheduled meeting will be June 11th.2013.

TAUT will be meeting at The Parlor Salon at 539 Thain Road. Meetings will be held Once a month on the second Tuesday of each month in the evening at 7:00 PM

TAUT Suffers Defeat in School Board Election
TAUT candidates Norma Allen and Ken Krahn lost to incumbents, Shari Allen and Brad Cuddhy for school board positions. The issue during the election was whether the voters wanted a new school or wanted to refurbish the old school. Election results showed voters voted for the candidates who were for or against the old high school. The voters chose to vote for the candidates who favored a new school.At its next general meeting, TAUT, will discuss how to approach the election loss and what to do about a pending tax hike in city government.

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TAKE THE PLEDGE. MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLEDGE 1% OF THEIR INCOME TO SUPPORT TAUT.
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MISSION STATEMENT

Our purpose is to achieve better government through the responsible use of taxpayer money.

ACTION PLAN
1. We strive to educate our citizens on issues facing our community so that they can make informed decisions.
2. We work to limit the scope and growth of local government.
3. We work to achieve a more equitable tax structure for our community.
4. To make government accountable to the taxpayers.
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WHAT IS TAUT?
I have been asked who is TAUT? I suspect the motivation behind the question is one of ideology. TAUT does not have any ideology. We are a collection of like minded individuals who oppose taxes. Anyone who opposes taxes are welcome to join us.
We are not a formal organization. We have a chairman and a secretary treasurer. We collect money as needed to fund our activities. We file no formal paperwork with the state or the IRS.
We do not align ourselves with any political party or organization. We are free and independent and intend on staying that way. We do not support any candidate unless we recruit that person and run him for office.Our membership is composed of mostly retired people.
We are not part of any grand conspiracy on the left or right. We believe in good government and less government and taxes. What you see is what you get. David Estes – Editor

Urban Renewal Agencies

Under Idaho Code 50-20,29 et seq. local political subdivisions are allowed to create Urban Renewal Agencies to deal with urban decay. This means that by statute, the city of Lewiston and like municipalities can create zones within their jurisdictions that are exempt from taxation. Any taxes generated within these zones are reserved for the urban renewal projects within each zones.

These urban renewal areas are created for a period of 20 years. Extension are generally not allowed. Urban renewal cannot exceed ten percent of the total taxed properties within the urban renewal zone.

If a property within a certain zone is renovated or torn down and rebuilt the structure goes up in value which increases the tax amount the urban renewal agency will receive. Conversely the increase in tax revenue will not go into the general tax fund but will stay in the urban renewal area. This causes a decrease in taxes in the general fund. Tax payers then must pay higher taxes to offset the loss of tax revenue used to pay for services and infrastructure maintenance and upkeep. In addition, the general tax fund pays for services to the urban renewal area such as fire and police protection.

In Lewiston there are three such zones. One of the zones was a wheat field that had nothing on it. It hardly fit the definition of a blighted area unless of course you include the wheat blight that might exist on the property. Luckily, a large business firm has bought into the property and will pay taxes on it. That doesn’t help the taxpayer of Lewiston or Nez Perce county.

The danger of these urban renewal areas is that they can levy taxes and are not accountable to the tax payer. Only the city council or county commissioners can control them. However that is seldom done.

Below is an example of a city that created a urban renewal agency and went on to abuse it becoming more powerful that the city council that created it.More

THEFT KNOWN AS URBAN RENEWAL

LOCAL OPTION TAX

Financing projects at a local level has emerged from the debate on building a new school in Lewiston. There are two sites listed immediately after this introduction showing the history of the legislature’s refusal to allow a local option tax.

A short argument for why a local option tax should be allowed will be posted after the two sites are posted for those who support the local option tax.
Spokesman Review on the Local Option Tax
Idaho Statesman on the Local Option Tax
Example of a Local Option Tax
Our legislature does not give local jurisdictions many options when a local jurisdiction wants to fund a project. Mainly you issue a bond and pay for it with property taxes and personal property taxes. A bond puts the burden on home owners and businesses who pay interest on the bond over a period of time which increases the principal amount owing considerably. People who do not own property or a business do not pay taxes that the property owner or a business are required to pay.

If you have a local option tax you do not have to pay interest thus saving sometimes millions of dollars. It is a consumer tax where all pay their share not just property owners or businesses.
David Estes – Editor