Hillsborough County voters should know what they’re voting on before they vote.

It should come as no surprise that voters and taxpayers are not funding promotion of the grossly misnamed All for Transportation (AFT), 30-year, 14 percent rail tax hike.

The Tampa Bay Times needs an intervention.

Five downtown Tampa special interests contributed $150,000 each to fund the “All for Transportation” (AFT) transit tax-hike petition effort, literally buying their way onto the November ballot in Hillsborough County.

The $750,000 was used to fast-track a proposed massive and unnecessary 30-year transit tax hike that would raise the sales tax to 8 percent -- highest in the state -- if the referendum passes.

The tax will reel in $15-$18 billion. Most of the funds will be earmarked for inside the City of Tampa with about 30 percent of the county’s population.

Hillsborough County’s All for Transportation sales tax referendum is subject to a performance audit that must be completed and available to the voting public by Sept. 6.