darin
07-08-2008, 08:32 AM
I'm VERY Glad to have left WA state if only because it's run by decades-old Corrupt Democrats. :(
http://www.kirotv.com/mostpopular/16811658/detail.html
The law generally prohibits government entities from collecting taxes from you, then using that money to lobby for ballot measures or tax increase initiatives. We discovered that Sound Transit, King County Metro and some other taxing authorities may have figured out a way around that.
With gas prices skyrocketing, Sound Transit thinks now is the time to float the idea of another $10 billion in new taxes to expand its routes.
Eagerly waiting to help them get that initiative to the ballot is a non-profit charity called the Transportation Choices Coalition. Its official mission: "support of increased public transit funding."
TCC spokesperson Shefali Ranganathan tells Halsne, “We do a lot of education and certainly we do advocacy or lobbying, as you could call it.”
According to TCC’s latest 990 tax form, it spent nearly $70,000 lobbying in 2006, with around $250,000 in lobby expenses since 2003.
This is where the use of your tax dollars becomes a little murky.
The Washington Policy Center says it found out that Sound Transit donated at least $156,000 to Transportation Choices in the past 10 years. That’s something we confirmed through Open Records.
WPC transportation director Mike Ennis says, “Even the most casual taxpayers can see the conflict of interest when you have a public agency giving money to an organization that lobbies on behalf of that organization. That's not what public money is intended for. It doesn't matter how noble the cause is for some of these groups.”
Again, using the Open Records Ace, KIRO Team 7 Investigators discovered Sound Transit is just one of at least 15 government agencies donating your tax money to Transportation Choices via something labeled “membership dues."
Sound Transit recently donated $22,000. King County Metro handed over $30,000. Other transit agencies donating to TCC via membership dues in 2008 include: Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Intercity Transit, Whatcom Transportation Authority, Ben Franklin/Richland Transit, Spokane Transit and Kitsap County Transit.
Other government agencies that contributed your tax dollars to TCC’s charity include the cities of Seattle, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish and Edmonds. The Port of Seattle donated as well.
This year, about half of the charities $360,000 budget came from government donations of your tax money.
Ranganathan defends the practice as money well spent.
http://www.kirotv.com/mostpopular/16811658/detail.html
The law generally prohibits government entities from collecting taxes from you, then using that money to lobby for ballot measures or tax increase initiatives. We discovered that Sound Transit, King County Metro and some other taxing authorities may have figured out a way around that.
With gas prices skyrocketing, Sound Transit thinks now is the time to float the idea of another $10 billion in new taxes to expand its routes.
Eagerly waiting to help them get that initiative to the ballot is a non-profit charity called the Transportation Choices Coalition. Its official mission: "support of increased public transit funding."
TCC spokesperson Shefali Ranganathan tells Halsne, “We do a lot of education and certainly we do advocacy or lobbying, as you could call it.”
According to TCC’s latest 990 tax form, it spent nearly $70,000 lobbying in 2006, with around $250,000 in lobby expenses since 2003.
This is where the use of your tax dollars becomes a little murky.
The Washington Policy Center says it found out that Sound Transit donated at least $156,000 to Transportation Choices in the past 10 years. That’s something we confirmed through Open Records.
WPC transportation director Mike Ennis says, “Even the most casual taxpayers can see the conflict of interest when you have a public agency giving money to an organization that lobbies on behalf of that organization. That's not what public money is intended for. It doesn't matter how noble the cause is for some of these groups.”
Again, using the Open Records Ace, KIRO Team 7 Investigators discovered Sound Transit is just one of at least 15 government agencies donating your tax money to Transportation Choices via something labeled “membership dues."
Sound Transit recently donated $22,000. King County Metro handed over $30,000. Other transit agencies donating to TCC via membership dues in 2008 include: Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Intercity Transit, Whatcom Transportation Authority, Ben Franklin/Richland Transit, Spokane Transit and Kitsap County Transit.
Other government agencies that contributed your tax dollars to TCC’s charity include the cities of Seattle, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish and Edmonds. The Port of Seattle donated as well.
This year, about half of the charities $360,000 budget came from government donations of your tax money.
Ranganathan defends the practice as money well spent.