State senators who represent Jefferson County in Alabama voted last week against a plan to start collection of a 3 percent tax on vehicle rentals and leases of a year or less, according to The Birmingham News.
In an estimate made 10 years ago by the Legislative Fiscal Office, the tax would have raised $7.5 million a year and would have funded the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) authority.
In 2001, state lawmakers approved the tax but included a provision stating that the tax couldn't be collected until $300 million in bonds could be repaid.
Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, introduced Senate Bill 323 which would eliminate that provision and allow immediate collection of the tax, reported The Birmingham News.