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Who do you trust as President: the tax raising history of Romney and Perry…

By: chrysostom15 (Diary)  |  December 15th, 2011 at 12:22 PM  | 

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Bottom Line: While Romney was governor the tax burden in his state went from 9.8% to 10.5%.  While Perry was governor, the tax burden in his state went from 7.1% to 7.9%.  Taxes increased under both Romney and Perry in their states. 

1976 – Newt ran for the House on a conservative ticket; Rick Perry voted for Jimmy Carter

1981- Newt voted YES on the Reagan tax cut of 1981

1984 – Ronald Reagan won election having adopted the ideas of Newt Gingrich’s Oppertunity Society (in other words, he campaigned on the ideas Newt Developed) and won in a landslide.  In his state of the union, Reagan cited the Oppertunity Society.

1986 – Newt voted YES on the Reagan tax cuts of 1986

1987 – Perry voted for the largest tax INCREASE in Texas history

1988 – Perry backed Gore

1990 – According to the Club for Growth – Newt’s vote against and his congressional leadership against the 1990 Bush tax increase is especially praiseworthy, as it exhibited political courage to fight against a bad policy that was promoted by the president and congressional leadership of his own party.

1993- Newt voted NO on the Clinton tax hike in 1993.

1994 – Mitt Romney ran for Senate as pro-abortion, anti-family, and attacking Reagan; Romney Lost.  Newt developed the Contract with America and the GOP won control of the Congress for the first time in 40 years.

1997 – Newt Voted YES, and cut capital gains taxes

1998 – By this time, Newt had balanced the budget, reformed welfare, and cut taxes.

1999- Perry voted more than a dozen times while in the Texas legislature to raise taxes

2002 – Romney ran to replace GOP governor Jane Swift, and won.  Romney then raised taxes: specifically raising corporate taxes by removing exemptions.  Romney also raised user fees, and made some spending cuts.

2004- Club for Growth gave Perry a B; Romney a C

2006- Club for Growth gave Perry a B; Romney as C; Huntsman a B

2007 – During Romney’s time as governor, taxes in his state were raised from a 9.8% total average tax burden to a 10.5% total average tax burden for citizens of Mass.  He was a tax increaser.  His state legalized “gay marriage” while he was governor (those he opposed it).  Clearly, unlike Reagan and unlike Gingrich, Romney’s state didn’t move right while he was governor, it moved left. 

2008- Club for Growth gave Perry a B

2009 – By 2009, Business taxes in Texas were 8% HIGHER than the national average.  Texas is the 18th highest tax state for businesses.  (according to the Texas Council on State Taxation).   Some industries are very heavily taxes in Texas, for example, utility companies pay about $60,000 in taxes per employee in Texas state and local taxes.    Texas has a very regressive tax system, the poorest 20% of Texas voters pay over 9% of their income in taxes.  The richest 20% pay 3% of their income in taxes.  Simply put, the higher your income, the lower the percent you pay in taxes if you are in Texas.  Texas also has high property taxes, with an average residential property tax rate of 1.88% (10th highest in the country), and an average business/industrial property tax rate of 2.52%, 3th highest in the country.   Texas has the 11th highest state sales tax rate at 6.25%.   

2009- Perry raised taxes on smokers

2009 – The average tax burden in Texas raised from 7.1% in 2000 to 7.9% in 2009; a 10% increase in the tax RATE.

2010- between 2001 and 2010 – Gingrich started a number of private sector companies with his wife, creating jobs and generating over $100 million in revenue.  Unlike Romney who made money firing people, Gingrich’s companies resulted in a net increase in jobs.

2010- Club for Growth gave Perry a B

2011-  Rick Perry signed into law a new online sales tax

2012 – Spending in Texas has increased 79.2% (over 18% if inflation is considered) while Gov. Perry was Governor.  Perry raised taxes and raised spending while governor.

 

Bottom line is that while Romney was governor the tax burden in his state went from 9.8% to 10.5%.  While Perry was governor, the tax burden in his state went from 7.1% to 7.9%.  BOTH RAISED THE PERCENT OF TAXES PEOPLE PAY AS INCOME.

COMMENTS

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  • sallyb

    first of all, although your “facts” are quite vague, Texas does not have income tax. I live in Texas and know for a fact your numbers are wrong.

    • chrysostom15

      And the total tax burden in Texas — while lower than many states — increased from 7.1% to 7.9% while Perry was in Texas. For the bottom 20% of income earners, Texas has over a 9% tax burden — which is actually very high for that income group.

      • avagreen

        Texas with a 7.9% combined state/local tax burden, ranking it 45th among the states.

        • avagreen

          Here is more info on your input about the lower 20%.
          “Households in the lowest 20% of income received about $8.21 in federal, state and local government spending for every dollar of taxes paid (in 2004), while those in the top 20% received only 41 cents in benefits. (Tax Foundation Working Paper No. 1, March 2007).”

          http://texaseagle.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=224:texas-facts-2010-part-2&catid=48:april-10&Itemid=219

          • chrysostom15

            I agree that taxes in Texas — even at 7.9% — are low, and in fact 45th of 50 states. That did not change the fact they rose 10% (from 7.1% to 7.9%) while Perry was governor.

            Taxes also rose under Romney from 9.8% to 10.5% (over a shorter time).

            It is time for candidates to own up to their actual record. Perry could say, “Yeah, taxes when up while I was governor, but I thought they were too low to start with.” That is fine. But he should not go around the country talking about he balanced the budget without raising taxes, when he has signed into law a number of tax increases, and where he voted dozens of time for tax increases.

            Perry calls for a hiring freeze and a salary freeze at the federal level. Yet, while he was governor, he increased hiring at the state level by twice what hiring was at the federal level over the same time; and rose salaries of Texas workers twice as much as they rose at the federal level.

            I think he was a good governor in many ways; but what I don’t like is that he goes around saying one thing when his records is the exact opposit.

          • avagreen

            Even with the taxes being raised (duh!…..what else would happen with the revenues we have leaking as a result of the illegal problem that the Feds won’t address, plus the $400M we’ve spent in protecting our border (another duh!), we’re still about the 4th lowest in per capita debt.

            What is your problem?

            10. Perry says he has not raised taxes, but he has

            When Perry states that ?we don?t raise taxes.? That?s such a broad generalization that it can?t possibly be 100% factual. And it is not. Perry has raised about half a dozen taxes during his tenure, including three 2006 changes that helped cover reductions in school property taxes, being essentially revenue neutral. He also signed into law tax increases on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, fireworks, and diesel equipment. He also implemented a change to the business franchise tax law that increased the franchise tax that businesses pay to operate in Texas ? that was an actual business tax increase.

            Another tax that has gone up on his watch is the unemployment tax that is paid by Texas businesses. While the tax rate fell steadily from 2004 through 2008, the rate rose in 2009 and 2010 largely due to the national economic downturn. However, the state unemployment rate is set automatically based on the balances in the state?s unemployment fund and is independent of any gubernatorial action, thus Perry is not liable for that one.

            Perry has managed to keep taxes low during his 10-year tenure as governor. Countless opportunities to raise taxes presented themselves during Perry?s ten years as governor, yet he resisted the temptation. Texas was ranked 49th among the states in per-capita taxes, at $1,434 a year in 2005, according to a 2009 Census Bureau report and a Texas Public Policy Foundation analysis (Feb., 2011) shows Texas with a 7.9% combined state/local tax burden, ranking it 45th among the states ? for comparison, New York?s burden is 12.1%.

            After 10 years in office, with ample opportunities to raise taxes, Perry has maintained an enviable record as a low-tax governor.

            Currently, Texas imposes no tax on personal income or capital gains. Perry remains opposed to a Texas state income tax and recently vetoed a proposed Internet state sales tax. Perry supports a balanced U.S. budget and a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

            In his first veto of the year, governor Perry vetoed the Internet sales tax bill (HB 2403). That?s just one more reason for Texas? low cost of living. Many other states have already enacted new laws to require all Internet sellers to collect a state?s sales tax (regardless of nexus) and others are feverishly getting on the bandwagon ? drawn like a moth to a flame ? to grab and spend this new source of previously out-of-reach revenue.
            http://peskytruth.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/seventeen-17-things-that-critics-are-saying-about-rick-perry-part-2/

          • chrysostom15

            So that is better than if he had increased them by more than 10%…They were low, and they remain low. Just 10% less low. And yet, that is still a tax increase. It still means more money for more government.

          • gekster

            Can you also point out who was the one proposing the tax increases that were implemented.

          • chrysostom15

            I don’t live in Texas. Perry voted over a dozen times when he was in the Texas legislature to increase taxes. Voting for tax increases when he was a Democrat and as a Republican. He singed several as governor.

            I am sure he felt it the right thing to do. I’m not questioning that. I’m just pointing out that he raised taxes again and again. While governor, taxes ended up 10% higher.

            I’m not saying it was bad or good, just that it was.

            Bottom line is that when Newt was voting against tax increases at the federal level; Perry was voting for them at the state level. Now Perry’s folks are saying Newt is not conservative — and yet Perry rose taxes, and Newt cut them.

          • http://impudent.edublogs.org/ kyle8

            If the state government increased, the question is what would it have done with another Governor? As his term went on I saw Perry moving more and more towards real conservatism.

            I saw him stand up several times to spending schemes in the state legislature, but he compromise several times in order to get things done, such as with a crises in our state school funding due to the drastic drop in property taxes.

            I would feel very comfortable with the Idea of Rick Perry as president and I am sure he would do more than any other candidate to promote federalism.

          • avagreen

            http://www.redstate.com/chrysostom15/2011/12/15/us-census-data-shows-perry-increased-texas-government-twice-as-much-as-the-federal-government-grew-over-a-similar-period/#comment-587

          • gekster

            Can you point out which taxes were raised, and why.

            Can you also point out who was the one proposing the tax increases that were implemented.

          • irishgirl

            diaries look like talking points from a handout? Don’t you think you’d make more of an impact writing a diary about who you support and why?

          • center77

            millions of people who do not pay any taxes and have sucked up the extra resources that state had in the pocket. I think it is easy to say, well the state raised taxes, but what you have to look at is what taxes and why, because the state has a balanced budget amendment, which means at some point the state has to find money, the real question is did Perry handle the money crisis well and how did the legislature get involved, because in Texas they are very powerful.

            Newt on the other hand is a whole another story; he was speaker, not the whole governor or anything else. He alone could not raise or lower taxes. It?s his comments since being in office that worries me, and it?s his baggage. He once called conservatives who opposed him cannibals and hateful, that is a huge deal to me. He was mad at his party for allowing the ethics violations at one time, but the panel was made of 4 dems and 4 repubs, all but one found him guilty and even the one said it was because the outcome was too harsh. Newt tried to use his power to hurt the investigation against him.
            Man my post turn out so much better when not using my droid, hate that phone I do.

          • gracie

            Thanks to Rick Perry refusing to raid the Rainy Day fund. You see Rick Perry has a saying, “Don’t spend all the money!” He is afraid that there will be a worse rainy day before the Bamster gets finished with us.

            How’d you like to have THAT guy as your President??

            Give me a break! Why are you picking on him when you have just agreed taxes are low in Texas? avagreen has done an excellent job with the details; let me tell you the common sense view of the environment in Texas:

            Yes we have NO state income taxes. Yes we have reasonable sales tax and we do have property tax. But let me point out a few things:

            Despite the influx of illegal aliens that we have to support we still have a reasonable unemployment rate. That means more people get to keep their homes. That means you can still buy a nice house in the 150-200,000 price range. And that means: Less value= less taxes to pay.

            Low unemployent also means our property keeps it’s value. We made money on the house we sold five years ago and not one year has our current property quit INCREASING in value until 2011. We did have a drop of 4% in our area. This means people can move and get their equity out! Don’t you think a ton of people would like to be able to do that in the USA?

            Yes, you have to look at things in context. The financial environment in Texas is just fine…come on down!

      • irishgirl

        We get it. You don’t like Perry. Although I haven’t seen yet who you do support.

  • romansdaughter

    Just wondering since all of a sudden you are putting out these diaries to make Rick Perry look bad. What is the great urgency,,,are you afraid Rick Perry might actually win??