MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A state representative from Birmingham has proposed a plan that he says will allow Alabama's largest county to escape from bankruptcy.
Democratic Rep. John Rogers told The Birmingham News that he will introduce a bill in the Legislature to reinstate the Jefferson County 0.5 percent occupational tax and generate as much at $65 to $70 million. Rogers is co-chairman of the Jefferson County legislative delegation.
The county went into bankruptcy because of financial problems related to an inability to pay creditors in a massive sewer system project.
The county's occupational tax was found unconstitutional because it exempted some people. Rogers said his proposed tax would have to be paid by everybody equally.
