Friday, July 24, 2009
Politics / Woods Along with McMillan, Herron and Kyle Supported State Income Taxes Too
Posted by Jeff Woods on Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 5:21 AM
Kyle actually sponsored an income tax bill with John Wilder in 2002. It would have levied a flat-rate 6 percent state income tax and repealed the then-6 percent state sales tax. In 1999, he cast a key committee vote for legislation to remove the state sales tax from food, eliminate the 6 percent Hall tax on investment income and enact a graduated income tax plan with tax levels of 1 percent, 3 percent and 5 percent.
According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, he announced to the crowded committee room that he could find no way to cut enough from the state budget to solve the state's revenue problem "and still give the people the government they deserve.''
"The truth is we can't cut enough (from other areas) to do what we need to do in education, in health care and in providing basic services like corrections. I know people don't want us to house fewer inmates,'' said Kyle. "I spent four weeks trying to find ways to cut, and it just wasn't there."
For his part, Herron introduced a resolution in 2000 proposing a constitutional amendment to do away with the Hall income tax and allow the General Assembly to enact a tax on personal income over $100,000 annually for individuals or $200,000 annually for a married couple.
The moral of this story: If Democrats plan to eliminate candidates based on their past support for the income tax, their choice suddenly boils down to Mike McWherter or Ward Cammack. But wait, McWherter is running as the son of Ned, and his father supported the income tax too, so cross him off the list. Cammack's the nominee by default. How does that sound?
Comments (5)
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While I am no great fan of paying taxes, I will support a candidate who supports an income tax in Tennessee.
Unlike the federal government, Tennessee cannot print money to support its operations. Tennessee does not support education the way it should. Tennessee does not support health the way it should. These programs cost money and Tennessee is saddled with a constitutional ban on deficit spending.
We depend upon a sales tax that disproportionately affects low income families. You know, the people those demagogues on the radio whip into a horn honking frenzy every time the T word is mentioned. An income tax would allow better health care and better education in Tennessee.
I believe that Tennessee and its citizens would benefit monetarily from an income tax. Better schools means more businesses will come to Tennessee with jobs. Better education means less money spent on jails and prisons. Better health care means fewer hospital emergency rooms give costly and ineffective treatment to poor and uninsured sick people. It's not like we aren't already paying for that treatment by way of insurance costs and bigger private pay hospital bills.
So, show me a candidate for governor who has the integrity and courage to support an income tax and that person will have my support.
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Don't forget also that Tennessee Democratic Party chair Chip Forrester was one of the primary advocates for an income tax during the Sundquist years. He passed a resolution through the TDP executive committee calling for the enactment of one.
Where do Kyle and Herron say they stand on the income tax now?
McMillan is dancing around offering a multitude of reasons why she now opposes it.
Herron always has a way of being on every side of an issue, depending on his audience.
Kyle has to deal with Memphis, where there was a lot of support for an income tax.
It'll be interesting to see why they now oppose it. You know they will.
