Critics Call Prop P 'Slush Fund,' Offer $10,000 Reward

ST. LOUIS, MO — Just a day before voters will decide on Proposition P, some critics are calling the half cent sales tax initiative a slush fund, pointing out that no legislative language exists earmarking the revenue for police, firefighters or schools, the programs proponents say the money is meant for.

St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson said in a letter supporting the ballot initiative that the sales tax would provide a $6,000 raise for each police officer and firefighter, $1.5 million for the Circuit Attorney's Office and approximately $1 million each for recreational programs, summer jobs, and mental health workers, plus $675,000 for the demolition of derelict buildings.

But 7th Ward Democratic Committeewoman Marie Ceselski called the mayor's claims campaign talking points, not legally binding language. In fact, she said, no such legally binding language exists beyond restricting the money to the Public Safety Department.

"But the Public Safety Department is much more than just the Police Department and Fire Department," Ceselski said. "It also includes the Building Division, City Emergency Management Agency, (Police) Civilian Oversight Board, Corrections Division, Excise Division, Neighborhood Stabilization Team, and Office of Special Events. Proposition P money may be appropriated to any of those programs as well as the Police Department and Fire Department."

She's so confident, she's offering $10,000 to anyone who can prove her wrong.

"It is a sales pitch. If I am wrong, show me," she said on her blog. "Show me and win $10,000."

Ceselski has also called for a citywide audit to determine how money is currently being spent before asking St. Louis taxpayers for more.

Other critics like St. Louis treasurer Tishaura Jones say they support giving police a raise, but that a new sales tax is not the way to go about it. St. Louis residents have already been asked to accept more than a dozen tax hikes and fee increases over the past decade, including two in the past six months. In addition, hundreds of community improvement and special business districts see higher taxes still, bringing the total sales tax in some parts of the city near 12 percent.

“At times like these when our people are in the streets demanding justice, asking us to raise taxes is tone-deaf," Jones said at an Oct. 24 press conference."Government should work for the people, not the other way around."

According to a study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, sales taxes disproportionately affect poor and working class Americans, who may see up to a fifth of their income go to such regressive taxes. They further increase the divide between rich and poor, undercut economic growth, and ultimately make cities more dangerous for citizens and law enforcement alike, the study found.

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