GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE JOHNSON OPPOSES JEFFERSON COUNTY OCCUPATIONAL TAX

          Montgomery, Ala.  Aug. 14, 2009 - A key issue facing Jefferson County, and facing a looming vote today in the Senate in a Legislative Special Session, is the occupational tax for Alabama's largest county. During Johnson's statewide kick-off Wednesday, Aug 12, he was asked about his views of the proposed tax. Johnson stated that he was firmly OPPOSED to the tax and believes it is a disincentive to the hard working men and women of Jefferson County and the surrounding metro area.

          "Public comments have been made that the county needs this money for services," said Johnson, "but so do the hard-working taxpayers of this area. The County has known for 10 years that they may have to make cuts in order to meet a budget. Instead, they have launched costly legal challenges attempting to keep the illegal tax in place. Now efforts are underway in the special session to reinstitute the tax, but the proposed legislation does not allow citizens' voices to be heard on this issue until 2012.

          Johnson believes that if the Legislature passes this tax, the citizens should be allowed to vote on it immediately. If the citizens vote 'no,' it should mean 'no' immediately--not after a four-year transitional ending to the tax, as has been proposed. Under the current proposal, workers in Jefferson County could be forced to endure this tax for the next 7 years.

          Each of the Republican gubernatorial candidates have taken a stand against new taxes, but Johnson is the first to take a stand and vocally oppose this occupational tax.

          "In these challenging economic times, we are all having to undergo unpleasant and often painful budget cuts," Johnson continued. "Inaction on the part of some of the local leaders is now impacting the very ones we should be fighting to protect. Hard-working dads, moms and individuals should not be facing a reduced income in a time when many of them are already struggling."

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