When state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, a Republican candidate for governor, announced last week that she signed a pledge that she would not raise taxes if elected governor, the other two candidates quickly followed with similar verbal pledges. Both Republican Kenny Hulshof, a Ninth District congressman, and Democrat Attorney General Jay Nixon, told the Associated Press that they would not raise taxes either.
But speaking before the Missouri Association of Counties meeting in Jefferson City, Nixon left the door open. Responding to a question from Greene County Presiding Commissioner Dave Coonrod, a Democrat, Nixon said, “What I said was very precise … I do not have any plans” to raise taxes.
Nixon went on to say he believed he could run government more efficiently than the current administration and he didn’t believe any tax increases would be necessary. Pressed after his speech by reporters, Nixon repeated: “I have absolutely no plans for any tax increase.”
All three candidates pledged in front of the county officials to stop unfunded mandates coming from state government.
UPDATE: Nixon spokesman Oren Shur called to say he doesn’t believe there is
any difference between what was previously reported about Nixon’s no-tax
pledge and what Nixon said today. Shur had told the Columbia Daily Tribune
on April 11 that “Jay won’t raise taxes.” After seeing the blog post above,
Shur said again that Nixon “will not” raise taxes.
Jay is right, there isn’t a need to raise taxes. Instead, the bloated hog that is the Missouri tax credit system needs to be disected and cleaned up. There is plenty of money to be found in the tax credit program. Maybe then, this state can start funding its state university system which is woefully behind its neighboring states. Education is the key to staying competitive in the global economy in which our political leaders love for us to compete with people willing to work for a third of what we make.
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“No plans” = “now things have changed and I HAVE TO!”
Or Tony knows what I do Jay Nixon lies…
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I think a change in your headline needs to occur, Tony.
What ‘open door’? He was very concise in what he said.
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Where is the “open door” Tony? It sounds pretty clear-cut to me. He said he will not raise taxes and he has no plans of raising taxes. How much clearer does it get?
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