Tax Hike Mike Makes No Apologies for Raising Taxes

[wbwilkin]

Years ago, in the Wall Street Journal; Huckabee challenged Pat Toomey to quit being a critic and try being a leader. But instead Toomey has responded by turning The club for growth into a public joke at the supporters expense.

[JQ10KA]

From a Dick Morris article:

A recent column by Bob Novak excoriated Huckabee for a "47 percent increase in state tax burden." But during Huckabee's years in office, total state tax burden — all 50 states combined — rose by twice as much: 98 percent, increasing from $743 billion in 1993 to $1.47 trillion in 2005.

[JQ10KA]

In Arkansas, the income tax when he took office was 1 percent for the poorest taxpayers and 7 percent for the richest, exactly where it stood when he left the statehouse 11 years later. But, in the interim, he doubled the standard deduction and the child care credit, repealed capital gains taxes for home sales, lowered the capital gains rate, expanded the homestead exemption and set up tax-free savings accounts for medical care and college tuition.

[JQ10KA]

Most impressively, when he had to pass an income tax surcharge amid the drop in revenues after Sept. 11, 2001, he repealed it three years later when he didn't need it any longer.

He raised the sales tax one cent in 11 years and did that only after the courts ordered him to do so. (He also got voter approval for a one-eighth-of-one-cent hike for parks and recreation.)

[bddarnell]

Huckabee wants to institute the Fair Tax. That means NO INCOME TAX for anyone! When you factor in the prebate up to the poverty level for everyone the poor end up paying anywhere between zero and very little taxes for the cost of living. Not exactly a liberal position if you take an honest look it.

[JessicaBelle81]

This guy's an idiot. Ron Paul is for freedom. Freedom from gov't appression.

Ron Paul 2008

[Moraelda]

lol, Huckabee may be able to get away with lying in his church, but not here.

[djdazzlindugie]

Cato is a libertarian think tank not a conservative think tank! Just thought I would point that out.

[pathx21x]

Mike Huckabee is a lying weasel. Sure, he'd have to be some measure of a lying weasel to make it in presidential politics, but Huckabee lies with an artfulness that would make Dick Nixon envious, and probably has Bill Clinton convinced that it comes from something in Hope, Ark.'s water. He's so damn good at it.

[Punchey]

He says he lowered taxes 90-something times, but he fails to mention the fact that, on balance, the tax burden of the average tax payer in Arkansas went up an incredible 41% during his term!

[ljrahn]

Great video. I'm glad to see someone is out there trying to give people the truth about Huckabee's dismal record. No conservative should even think about supporting this guy.

[SpareOom]

This is supposed to be damaging? Thanks for posting the candidates own reaction to the question.

[proofset666]

exacly