MONTY “DAY LATE AND DOLLAR SHORT” FRITTS.
State Representative Monty Fritts, who is running for governor, just announced a new plan to give Tennessee drivers some relief at the gas pumps. He wants to suspend the portion of Tennessee excise taxes on gasoline, about 27 cents per gallon, until the end of the current fiscal year, meaning until June 30. So even if it were possible to fulfill Monty’s dream immediately, Tennesseans would be looking at about a four-week period of minimal relief in filling their gas tanks. While Tennessee drivers would certainly appreciate any savings, there are several problems with Monty’s idea.
First, he notes correctly that gasoline prices are about 53% higher than a year ago, and points to the conflict with Iran that was initiated on February 28 of this year as the main cause of the dramatic price increase. Great. So why didn’t Fritts, who is currently in the state legislature, make his proposal BEFORE the legislature approved their new budget and BEFORE they adjourned for the year?
Certainly, as a member of the House, Monty would know that a reduction in the gas tax, temporary or otherwise, would require legislative action. So, why wait to propose this until AFTER the legislature couldn’t act? Unless, as a House member and candidate for governor, he simply lacks an understanding of how the legislative process works.
By the way, although Monty claims he is the FIRST one to make this proposal, the Democrats actually filed a bill during the session that just recently ended. Why didn’t he do the same thing? Or at least join on their bill since he regularly votes with the Democrats anyway.
Or is this just an example of the type of political grandstanding he claims to dislike and criticizes Marsha Blackburn for regularly using to get attention? Big announcement with no substance to get attention for a campaign that likes the funds to run significant advertising. (Will we soon see Monty, Monty, Monty t-shirts on his campaign volunteers?)
Maybe he wants the governor to call a special session to bring his proposed action forward, despite his complaining about the special session on congressional redistricting because it was supposedly hampering his fundraising opportunities.
Finally, the gasoline excise tax is not collected at the pump. Oil companies pay that. So there is really no process nor expectation that the oil companies would pass any reduction as savings to consumers. They certainly wouldn’t pass the whole 27 cents to the drivers, and would likely simply pocket it themselves, the same way that when oil prices go up the gas prices immediately go up and when the oil prices come down, any reduction in prices at the pump are very slow to follow.
Interesting idea, and it would’ve been nice if Monty had suggested it when the legislative body that he is a part of was still in session and could’ve debated the merits.
THANKS A LATTE! TENNESSEE TOSSES THIRTY MILLION BUCKS TO STARBUCKS. The State of Tennessee is giving Starbucks $30 million to relocate some operations from Seattle to Tennessee. Starbucks is promising to create UP TO 2000 jobs OVER FIVE YEARS! If Tennessee had agreed to give EXISTING small businesses across the state $7500 as signing bonuses for the first ten new employees they hired plus another $7500 per each of those employees for new equipment, training, or as an incentive to participate in this “homegrown Tennessee economic development program ($150,000 per company), wouldn’t that have been a better way to invest that $30 million in growing jobs with businesses already committed to Tennessee? And those jobs would be created almost immediately rather than over the next five years. Instead, Starbucks is having to convince employees who have no desire to be here to make the move to Tennessee.
Opposition to the scheme provided a rare moment of agreement by Americans For Prosperity and the SEIU but to no avail. Congressman John Rose, running for Governor, also expressed opposition to this example of corporate welfare. Nevertheless, Liberal Starbucks got its corporate welfare from the supposedly conservative State of Tennessee.
Steve Gill is editor and Publisher of TriStar Daily.
