Issue Position: Taxes

Issue Position

Arizonans--along with all Americans--are, and have been, Taxed Enough Already. The idea that taxes should be increased in order to pay for ever-expanding government programs and services flies in the face of responsible governing and being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. It is true that we are facing historic budgetary shortfalls, but poor fiscal planning does not justify adding to the already sizeable burden born by taxpayers, especially when they are facing their own struggles during these tough economic times. "We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle" (Winston Churchill). I believe Arizona's own Dr. Edward Prescott, a Nobel-prize-winning economist and professor at Arizona State University, offers sound tax advice: keep the tax rate low and the tax base wide. People should not be forced to pay taxes out of their necessities, nor should the burden be unduly placed on the shoulders of those who have been successful.

The ideal tax system should be:
*Fair
*Simple
*Predictable
*Consistent
*Efficient
*Transparent
*Broad
*Low
*Unobtrusive
*Family-friendly

The tax system should not tax investment or risk-taking (which stimulate economic growth), nor apply double taxation (tax pre and post wages). I am vehemently opposed to dumping more of the tax burden on "big corporations" because having excessively high taxes on entities that create jobs is counterproductive. Reducing the tax burden on businesses (business personal property taxes, for instance) would encourage those fleeing high-tax states like California to relocate here. This would go a long way towards creating new jobs, a key element to getting out of this budgetary mess.

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