If you don't want your rent or cost of housing to be raised then you will have to support a well organized and funded effort to defeat the SMART Tax Increase next August.
The public generally believes a NO vote means mass transit shuts down, thus many vote YES thinking more local tax money is essential to keep existing community transit. It is NOT
A vote of NO means only the tax increase is defeated. ALL money, ALL bus service and ALL union bus driver jobs are fully and completely protected by existing federal laws.
The SMART Property Tax is a TAX SHIFT, thus is illegal without a majority vote for permanent funding for same purpose facilities under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ADA law. This is why for example if you live in Dearborn, your local taxes will not be lowered and must go to SMART or another provider. That is why Livonia did not get a tax break but actually got their taxes increased. This is also why the Michigan Department of Transportation is not allowed to cut essential funds without your consent at the voting booth.
Cost shifting from state to local government for both SMART and DDOT is outright illegal and our law makers know this. Why to you think the RTA has such strong support? It is because they want your money and they don't care how you pay as long as you pay more even if you don't have access to or use mass transit.
Look at your ballot next August. Does it say federal and state funds in writing? If not, then it is a tax shift without any concessions from government or industry.
The voters are very uneducated in the funding of mass transit and the meaning of Fare Box Recovery Ratio which is why Mr. John Hertel of SMART will not go on television and debate people like me voluntarily. Until of course after he gets his tax increase passed.
Notice the quiet say nothing of those who want the SMART tax? It is only weeks away and my opponents know better then to get my website well known. They want you to be STUPID and pay more taxes. Instead of being SMART and voting NO to protect federal and state money for public bus service - IN WRITING
If interested in not paying more to SMART, then please get in touch with me by going to my website or indicating on this forum
Google save the fuel tax org
Go to the Link for Detroit Public Transit.
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