Report concludes Tennessee cities overspending on lobbying
From Sunshine Review
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September 25th, 2009. A recent report conducted by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, titled "The Dangerous Cycle of Taxpayer-funded Lobbying", concludes that taxpayer-funded lobbying is a serious problem in Tennessee. The report tracks the amount of money that has been spent on taxpayer-funded lobbying by Tennessee cities and other local entities over the past three years.
[edit] The Dangerous Cycle
Taxpayer-funded lobbying in Tennessee, the report warns, leads to a dangerous cycle of overspending. When lobbyists for cities and other government agencies in Tennessee lobby at the state or federal level, they are intent on creating new taxes or raising existing taxes, and expanding their influence over the public. The money generated from new taxes, in turn, is used by Tennessee local entities to fund more taxpayer-funded lobbying [1]
[edit] State Lobbying
The report reveals that several Tennessee cities and other local entities have invested large amounts of money into lobbying at the state capitol in Nashville. Leading the list of amount spent on taxpayer-funded lobbying at the state level, the city of Memphis spent $638,357 over the last three years. The Memphis City Schools is second, with $225,104 spent. Rounding out the top five, Shelby County, the city of Chattanooga, and the Electric Power board of Chattanooga all spent over 150,000$. [2]
One questionable use of tax-payer funded lobbying, the report cites, was for the Gibson County Special School district. Over the past three years, the school district spent over $66,000 on tax-payer funded lobbying. In June 2007, the state government passed a bill that granted the school district the authority to issue $23 million worth of bonds in order to pay for the construction of new buildings. In addition, the bill granted the school district the power to raise property taxes for the purpose of paying the principal and interest of the loan. [3]
[edit] Federal Lobbying
The report finds that government entities in Tennessee have also spent large amounts of money on lobbying at the federal level. The city of Memphis spent more than any other entity, spending $453,785 [4]. The city lobbied the federal government for money to fund various city projects and its riverside development efforts. [5]
Other top spenders included Shelby County, the city of Oakridge, and the city of Jackson, all of which spent between $200-300,000 on taxpayer-funded lobbying [6]
[edit] Solution
To end the dangerous cycle that is perpetuated by taxpayer-funded spending, the report calls for a new state policy towards lobbying that prohibits the use of tax money for lobbying.
[edit] References
- ↑ The Dangerous Cycle of Taxpayer-funded Lobbying, A Dangerous Cycle
- ↑ The Dangerous Cycle of Taxpayer-funded Lobbying, The Top Five Entities That Lobby the State Government.
- ↑ The Dangerous Cycle of Taxpayer-funded Lobbying Lobbying the State Government.
- ↑ The Dangerous Cycle of Taxpayer-funded Lobbying, The Top Five Entities That Lobby the Federal Government.
- ↑ [1] The Tennessean, Tennessee cities spend millions on lobbying.]
- ↑ The Dangerous Cycle of Taxpayer-funded Lobbying, The Top Five Entities That Lobby the Federal Government.
[edit] External links
| The Dangerous Cycle of Taxpayer-funded Lobbying
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