Issue Position: The State Income Tax

Issue Position

I have consistently opposed the income tax increase that was passed before I became a State Representative, skeptical that the state could be relied upon to use tax payer money in a way citizens would approve of and that was worthy of their sacrifice. Since that time, I have seen the state move away from the bad budgeting practices that had put us in such a dire situation. The pension has been paid in full for the last four years. A plan to significantly modify the pensions has been voted on and is awaiting a verdict in the courts. The deficit has been prioritized and cut in half. Major changes and painful reductions were made to Medicaid, the state's biggest expense. Nearly $3 Billion in cuts have been taken across all areas of state spending and the number of state employees has been drastically reduced. Bipartisan committees in the House go through each budget line by line and reevaluate what items will remain and at what funding level. These are all things we as tax payers demanded.

The state is at a critical crossroads. Financial solvency will depend on these cuts and continued fiscal restraint, as well as, securing an appropriate amount of revenue to maintain the core services our citizens rely on and that the state is mandated by law to provide such as; public safety, road safety, care for seniors and the disabled, etc.. Your elected officials need to make hard decisions about how all of our revenue sources; income tax, sales taxes, etc., work together and can most fairly and adequately be set, based on our immediate financial situation, to meet these needs.

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