REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES MUST EXPLAIN HOW THEY WOULD PAY FOR THEIR TAX CUTS

Their Promises Are Like John Rowland’s 1994 Campaign Promises To Eliminate the Income Tax

Hartford, CT – It’s been just two days since the CT GOP Convention and already the Republicans have lost most of their credibility. On Face the State yesterday, Tom Foley continued to make reckless promises about tax cuts, while claiming he would hold spending flat, and simultaneously boost education spending. That comes after a weekend at the GOP convention, where the Republican candidates – offering almost no specifics – continued to tout their reckless tax cuts without explaining the arithmetic.

“This is simple – the Republicans’ math does not add up. Mark Boughton, Tom Foley and John McKinney say they will make massive tax cuts and reduce spending, but they don’t ever explain in detail how they plan to accomplish both. Either their reckless tax cuts won't happen, or they will have to pay for them by gutting funding for education, healthcare, and laying off thousands of workers. They need to provide specific details on what spending cuts they would make to accomplish their tax promises,” said Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo. “It does not take a fortune teller to expect that they either won’t keep their promises, or that they will gut education, healthcare, and lay off employees. So I call on the Republican candidates to open their books and explain, in specific detail, what spending they would eliminate to pay for their tax cuts. Otherwise, their platforms amount to empty promises and disingenuous rhetoric, just like we saw with John Rowland's empty pledge to eliminate the income tax in 1994. We all know how that turned out."

Background

Foley: “Well Listen, You Can Run Government More Efficiently. There’s So Many Ways Government Wastes Money, So If We Can Save Money In Some Areas – Governor Malloy Is Spending Billions Of Dollars In Corporate Welfare, Giving Money To Corporations…If We Can Save That Money, I’ll Put It Into Schools.” [Face the State, 5/18/14]

Foley: “I Talked About Taking Half A Point Off The Sales Tax…” Foley: “Here’s what I said. I said I will keep spending level for two years. That’s a big problem and that’s what Governor Malloy has not done- among other things. He has not gotten control over out of control spending, so I will hold spending flat for two years. I talked about taking half a point off the sales tax because that is the most regressive tax we have. That’s the tax that hurts working families the most and it’s the tax, that if you reduce it, has the most stimulating effect on the economy to turn around the job situation.” [Face the State, 5/18/14]

On A Question Of Whether He Would Work To Cut The Income Tax, Foley Responded “Yes.” “Moderator: Would you work to cut the income tax? Boughton: Absolutely. Boucher: Absolutely yes. McKinney: Yes. Yes, repeal the Malloy tax increases. Yes. Visconti: Yes. Foley: Yes. Lauretti: Yes.” [Northeast Republicans Dinner, 1/31/14]

Boughton’s Campaign Website Asserts Boughton Will “Repeal The Malloy Tax Hikes, Saving Connecticut Taxpayers $1.5 Billion Annually.” “As Governor, Mark will: Repeal the Malloy tax hikes, saving Connecticut taxpayers $1.5 billion annually. Simplify the tax code so that taxpayers can file their tax returns from a smartphone. Reform or eliminate state regulations that make it difficult to start a business in Connecticut. Allow the marketplace to work, rather than picking economic winners and losers from Hartford.” [Team Boughton, Issues: Jobs, accessed 5/18/14]

McKinney: “As Governor, I Will Work To Repeal The Malloy Tax Hike…” “As governor, I will work to repeal the Malloy tax hike, reduce state borrowing and pay down state debt. Those are important steps toward improving our economy and creating the conditions for job growth in the state of Connecticut.” [Press Release, McKinney for Governor, 3/28/14]

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