Don't let the critics fool you: if you're worried about gas and property taxes you should be FOR the referendum, not against it

The newest rumor circulating about Countywide Transportation is that by approving the referendum, we will see higher gas and property taxes.

This bogus claim is scaring residents into believing that the referendum will set off a cascade of tax increases that no one can afford. The threat of a 5 cent increase in the gas tax has materialized seemingly out of thin air, and those touting this claim offer no facts to back it up. The only rationalization provided for why the referendum would lead to gas and property tax increases is that the sales surtax would not cover the cost of the full project. This is simply not true.

Let's take a look at the facts. HART, the MPO, and the Transportation Taskforce spent years devising a plan based on the projected revenue from the 1% sales surtax, and it will cover the FULL plan. This includes the more than $700 million in road projects, doubling the bus fleet to expand frequency and service area, and the full 46 miles of light rail.

Here are some more facts about the relationship between the referendum and taxes. If we DON'T vote FOR countywide transportation, you can be sure that Hillsborough County residents will have to come up with funding for building and expanding roads through another revenue source. How can we be sure? Because without the revenue that would be generated by the referendum, Hillsborough County will have a $15 billion shortfall in funding for road projects. Either taxes will have to be raised - property or other taxes - or services will have to be cut significantly to address this shortfall sooner or later, and the longer we wait to address our transportation needs, the more expensive it will be to do so. In an economic downturn, materials, labor, and land are much cheaper, making road expansion and other projects less expensive.

One final point about taxes. In the more urban areas of Hillsborough, it is MORE EXPENSIVE to widen roads than it is to invest in buses or light rail. To meet future traffic demand, I-275 from USF to Downtown Tampa would need to be widened to 14 or 16 lanes (sounds like a nightmare to us, we're lucky superheroes can fly) at a cost of more than $2.2 billion. To build light rail along that same corridor would be less than half the cost ($900 million) to move the same or more people. Why? Because it is CHEAPER to invest in light rail than highways once you exceed 8 lanes.

What does all this mean? It means that investing in a comprehensive transportation system is the FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE choice. It also means that if you are worried about seeing higher gas or property taxes, you should be FOR the referendum, not against it.

Heroically Yours,

Mobility Mike and Commuter Carly

Check the FACTS:
http://www.gohart.org/whytransit/financial_plan.pdf
http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/transtaskforce/
http://www.mpo2035.org/faqs.html