May 02, 2006
Honest Tax Talk
Should candidates talk candidly about raising taxes?
Raising taxes may be the best way to address the state's needs, but only some candidates are courageous enough to say it. Talk of financing state services tends to be dominated by other voices: Candidates who pledge not to raise taxes, promise to lower them, or dodge the question by talking about increased revenue from economic growth.
So what happens when revenues fall far short of what's needed to provide services the people want and expect from government? Officials may try to create desired programs while concealing, shifting or delaying the cost — or they may cut programs and claim that service will not suffer. But the public isn't fooled for long. Sooner or later, the impact of all the cutting and shifting becomes painfully apparent.
Further Reading:
What Governor Gregoire said — and did
Parsing Kaine: Did He Mean 'No New Taxes'?
Corzine considers tax increase on alcohol sales
Minnesota not giving up on cigarette fee
What do you think?
1. If candidates favor raising revenue through a tax increase, should they take that message to the voters — or wait and work for an increase after the election?
2. How would you make a winning case for higher taxes in a campaign?
3. How might Minnesota encourage a more honest framework for discussing financing of state and local government?
Comments:
<< Home
1. If candidates favor raising revenue through a tax increase, should they take that message to the voters — or wait and work for an increase after the election?
We have too many examples of politicians willing to "spend and not tax." Voters will eventually get tired of this.
If a candidate supports government action that will cost more money, it's responsible to talk about the financial realities. And being elected on a platform that calls for a tax increase would certainly make that official more effective during the legislative process.
The challenge, of course, is first getting elected.
Answering the "how will you pay for it?" question offers a vital test of any proposal. Yet responding to the question rarely leads to serious discussion about the need being addressed or the merits of the solution. Opposing campaigns jump on the higher cost and attack at the soundbite level.
You can see how this sort of thing works in the Mark Kennedy attack on Amy Klobuchar's expanded health care position. There's no substantive discussion about the problem.
Candidates run as individuals, but govern as part of a collective. It's rare that any single candidate's position would make it intact through the give and take of the legislative process.
So I think one way for candidates to make their case (question 2) is to clearly define the problem, acknowledge that paying for it is a concern, and invite opponents' proposals on how to solve it.
Post a Comment
We have too many examples of politicians willing to "spend and not tax." Voters will eventually get tired of this.
If a candidate supports government action that will cost more money, it's responsible to talk about the financial realities. And being elected on a platform that calls for a tax increase would certainly make that official more effective during the legislative process.
The challenge, of course, is first getting elected.
Answering the "how will you pay for it?" question offers a vital test of any proposal. Yet responding to the question rarely leads to serious discussion about the need being addressed or the merits of the solution. Opposing campaigns jump on the higher cost and attack at the soundbite level.
You can see how this sort of thing works in the Mark Kennedy attack on Amy Klobuchar's expanded health care position. There's no substantive discussion about the problem.
Candidates run as individuals, but govern as part of a collective. It's rare that any single candidate's position would make it intact through the give and take of the legislative process.
So I think one way for candidates to make their case (question 2) is to clearly define the problem, acknowledge that paying for it is a concern, and invite opponents' proposals on how to solve it.
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
