rssRead Crist’s Lips: Some New Taxes
Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 3:53 pm
- 6 Comments
Just two weeks ago, Republican Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who’s trying to replace retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), signed a pledge promising not to raise taxes.
Yesterday he signed a budget that did just that.
Florida’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes about $2 billion in tax and fee increases, including a $1 per-pack hike in the cigarette tax.
Crist is still trying to have his cake and eat it too, claiming that he still hasn’t supported a broad-based tax increase, since not everybody smokes — it is estimated that about 2 million Floridians smoke, or roughly one in five residents over 18.
The Americans for Tax Reform pledge for congressional candidates requires signers to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses … and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.”
Crist could get off on a technicality here since he’s not in Congress and the budget doesn’t raise income taxes. But wait, he did sign a different ATR pledge — one for governors — that requires signatories commit to “oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes.”
Last month, ATR jumped all over Florida House leaders who signed the pledge and allowed the state budget to include tax increases.
Responsible legislators don’t raise taxes on their constituents, especially when they can least afford it. Responsible people look to solve problems (cutting excessive spending), rather than looking to patch them with taxes on a declining source of revenue (cigarette taxes).
The Orlando Sentinel notes Crist invokes conservative demigod Ronald Reagan in his defense:
I view it more as a health issue than a tax issue … Ronald Reagan used to say if you want to kill something, tax it. It wouldn’t be bad if we killed smoking. It would save a lot of lives.
Crist might want to avoid comparisons to Reagan, lest Florida voters draw a connection to his vice president, George H.W. Bush, and the “Read my lips: No new taxes” debacle.
Update: Americans for Tax Reform spokesman Adam Radman emails the following statement:
[W]ith the signing of these bills, Crist has broken his Pledge at the state level. We’re disappointed Crist has broken his state pledge which he took to oppose all tax increases of whatever kind. He’s right though about the Federal pledge–it applies only to Federal income taxes. We’re hoping he’ll recommit himself to Florida taxpayers and do better with his Federal pledge than he has with his state Pledge.
6 Comments
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Comment posted May 31, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
I'm in Florida and I see nothing wrong with Crist's so-called broken pledges. Our state is in debt – between the foreclosures, unemployment, slowdown in tourism, we need to start doing something. To me, complaining about Crist breaking a pledge makes it sound as if he took a sacred oath to God. He didn't – he made a campaign pledge, but the reality of the day means that somethings just can't be helped – like taxes and death. What does FL want? To start operating in the black or just bleed red until the sea claims the state?
Comment posted May 31, 2009 @ 3:25 pm
The comment above only looks at the revenue side. The legislature could have reduced spending to the expected level of taxes generated. Crist vetoed even modest public employee salary reductions, which many Floridians have endured as a result of outright cuts, fewer hours or lay-offs. That also could have produced more balance without need for fee or general tax increases. That said, people who pay for services such as parks and fishing should pay full freight for use of the services and not expect money from other accounts to subsidize those. Whether these user services are as effcient as possible bears analysis. Ultimately, it boiled down a choice: the legislature and Crist decided it was more important to achieve a certain degree of spending than keep cigarette taxes and fees at current levels.
Comment posted May 31, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
I'm in Florida and I see nothing wrong with Crist's so-called broken pledges. Our state is in debt – between the foreclosures, unemployment, slowdown in tourism, we need to start doing something. To me, complaining about Crist breaking a pledge makes it sound as if he took a sacred oath to God. He didn't – he made a campaign pledge, but the reality of the day means that somethings just can't be helped – like taxes and death. What does FL want? To start operating in the black or just bleed red until the sea claims the state?
Comment posted May 31, 2009 @ 10:25 pm
The comment above only looks at the revenue side. The legislature could have reduced spending to the expected level of taxes generated. Crist vetoed even modest public employee salary reductions, which many Floridians have endured as a result of outright cuts, fewer hours or lay-offs. That also could have produced more balance without need for fee or general tax increases. That said, people who pay for services such as parks and fishing should pay full freight for use of the services and not expect money from other accounts to subsidize those. Whether these user services are as effcient as possible bears analysis. Ultimately, it boiled down a choice: the legislature and Crist decided it was more important to achieve a certain degree of spending than keep cigarette taxes and fees at current levels.
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