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Crime, tax proposals still awaiting action
Cigarette tax could boost prosecutions, says Kyle
By Jon W. Sparks, Commercial Appeal
May 13, 2007
Two of the higher profile bills being considered by the General Assembly are nearing some sort of resolution.
The anti-crime package's $87.6 million cost makes its fate uncertain. It would increase the number of prosecutors and require more prison time for gun crimes and gang-related "street terrorism."
But the bill that would make property tax relief possible for senior citizens seems likely to pass.
Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle, D-Memphis, said on Friday, "We can't afford to do the crime package if we don't do the 40-cent (tax increase on cigarettes)."
Projections of state revenue issued last week suggest the state will have up to $307 million more for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, than had been predicted.
Republicans are saying that diminishes the need for the 40-cent tax hike on cigarettes proposed by Gov. Phil Bredesen, and that funds for the crime bill, which is widely supported by district attorneys, police chiefs and sheriffs, can be found without the full 40-cent tax hike.
Kyle says that view politicizes the issue. "We need the 40 cents -- maybe not the entire package but a large part of it. But when you take $210 million off the table you eliminate lots of things you need to do and the crime package is one of them."
Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris of Collierville said "there hasn't been any indication by those who propose the higher taxes that they actually support crime-fighting measures or my legislation. So it may be disingenuous to link the two."
Norris added, "I suspect they're using this to draw attention away from the obvious question which is why, with record-breaking revenue, would you need to raise any taxes?"
Meanwhile, legislation that would allow counties and municipalities to freeze property tax rates for residents 65 and over looks good for passage.
The bill had been hung up while lawmakers sought to devise a figure or formula for eligibility based on income. They recently agreed to use the median household income of people ages 65 to 74 in each county as the maximum income level for seniors to qualify.
Norris, one of the bill's sponsors, said there were still questions about implementation, and he is meeting with municipal officials to work out details.
He and Kyle did agree on one thing: the legislation is likely to pass.
In November, voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state Constitution that allows property taxes to be frozen for senior citizens. This bill is the result of that vote, which passed by a 4-to-1 margin.
The bill allows local governments to implement the freeze, but does not mandate it.
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