I read today that Huckabee raised overall taxes in 10 years in Arkansas from 30.2 to 30.4% . . . big deal there. As opposed to Romney who raised taxes for his state by 4% total. It’s a bunch of bogus attacks on Huckabee.
“I didn’t raise taxes, I raised hope!”
Hillary or Obama will wipe the floor with him should he get nominated.
You read wrong. The HUCKSTER is using phony statistics - basically grouped in Federal taxes and takes credit for the Bush tax cuts. Then he lies about Romney with apples vs oranges. Look, if you want to lie about Huckster or believe the lies he says it’s your right to be ignorant, but you are not fooling anyone who’s looked at the facts.
you need to look specifically at STATE TAX BURDEN. That is what was under Huckabee’s control. He increased taxes significantly.
There was an increase in state spending of over 65% during his tenure, and the size of the government increased by 20%. According to the Americans for Tax Reform, the states general obligation debt went up by “almost one billion dollars.” Arkansas state tax burden was at 9.8% when Bill Clinton left office in 1992. Under Huckabee, it was at 11.1%, reaching the rank of one of the top fifteen state tax burdens.”
In fact, tax burdens in Arkansas went from 30th to 13th ranked state.
According to the Democrat-Gazette, “the average Arkansan’s tax burden grew from $1,969 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1997, to $2,902 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2005, including local taxes,” a whopping tax increase of 47% under Huckabee’s tenure. Tax legislation passed while Huckabee was governor totaled “a net tax increase of $505 million, a figure adjusted for inflation and economic growth,” according to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
Not that this is already adjusted. If you didnt adjust it, the numbers would look worse, much worse.
As a result of this, Huckabee got a failing grade on fiscal responsibility.
Every two years, the Cato Institute grades the 50 governors on fiscal stewardship. Here’s last year’s assessment of Tax Hike Mike [emphasis added]:
Thanks to a final term grade of F, Huckabee earns an overall grade of D for his entire governorship. Like many Republicans, his grades dropped the longer he stayed in office. In his first few years, he fought hard for a sweeping $70 million tax cut package that was the first broad-based tax cut in the state in more than 20 years. He even signed a bill to cut the state’s 6 percent capital gains tax—a significant pro-growth accomplishment. But nine days after being reelected in 2002, he proposed a sales tax increase to cover a budget deficit caused partly by large spending increases that he proposed and approved, including an expansion in Medicare eligibility that Huckabee made a centerpiece of his 1997 agenda. He agreed to a 3 percent income tax “surcharge” and a 25-cent cigarette tax increase. In response to a court order to increase spending on education, Huckabee proposed another sales tax increase.
BTW, Cato ranked Huckabee 45th out of 50 on fiscal responsibility, and in the same ranking, they ranked Mitt Romney 15th out of 50. Romney was MUCH MORE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE than Mike Huckabee, according to Cato.