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Posted on 08/01/2012 6:36:08 AM PDT by SoConPubbie
NEW YORK, New York — Hot on the heels of his eight-vote Iowa-caucus landslide, Willard Mitt Romney is crisscrossing New Hampshire before Tuesday’s key primary. Romney is masquerading as a limited-government, free-market executive from next-door Massachusetts. From the Golden Gate to the Granite State, voters should greet Romney’s impersonation with a quarry full of skepticism.
In fact, Romney increased taxes by $309 million, mainly on corporations. These tax hikes, described by Romney apologists as “loophole closures,” totaled $128 million in 2003, $95.5 in 2004, and $85 million in 2005. That final year, Romney proposed $170 million in higher business taxes, the Boston Globe reports. However, the Bay State’s liberal, Democratic legislature balked and only approved an $85 million increase.
“Tax rates on many corporations almost doubled because of legislation supported by Romney,” Boston Science Corporation chairman Peter Nicholas explained in January 6, 2008’s Boston Herald. Also, from 5.3 to 9.8 percent, Romney raised the tax on subchapter S corporations owned by business trusts — an 85 percent hike. “Romney went further than any other governor in trying to wring money out of corporations,” the Council on State Taxation’s Joseph Crosby complained.
Romney also created or increased fees by $432 million. He was not dragooned into this by greedy Democratic lawmakers; Romney himself proposed these items. In 2003 alone, Romney concocted or boosted 88 fees. Romney charged more for marriage licenses (from $6 to $12), gun registrations (from $25 to $75), a used-car sales tax ($10 million), gasoline deliveries ($60 million), real-estate transfers ($175 million), and more. Particularly obnoxious was Romney’s $10 fee per Certificate of Blindness. Romney also billed blind people $15 each for discount-travel ID cards.
While Romney can take credit for a $275 million capital-gains tax rebate, property-tax relief for seniors, and a two-day, tax-free shopping holiday, he also must take responsibility for signing $740.5 million in higher taxes, plus that $85 million in business taxes that he requested and legislators rejected.
“Romney did not even fight higher Death Tax rates,” notes former State Assembly Minority Whip Steve Baldwin (R – California), a Romney critic. “When the legislature considered this issue, Romney’s official position was ‘no position.’ This echoed Barack Obama’s ‘present’ votes in the Illinois State Senate.”
As Romney drained his constituents’ pockets, the Public Policy Institute of New York’s Cost of Doing Business Index rated Massachusetts in 2006 as America’s fourth costliest state in which to practice free enterprise. The Tax Foundation dropped Massachusetts from America’s 29th most business-friendly state to No. 36. The Tax Foundation also calculated that, under Romney, Massachusetts’ per-capita tax burden increased from 9.3 to 9.9 percent. In real dollars, the Romney-era per capita tax burden grew $1,175.71.
As if impoverishing his own taxpayers were not bad enough, Romney’s March 5, 2003 signature raised taxes on non-residents retroactive to that January 1. Perpetrating taxation without representation, Romney’s law declared that, “gross income derived from… any trade or business, including any employment,” would be taxable, “regardless of the taxpayer’s residence or domicile in the year it is received.” Consequently, according to data furnished by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, between 2002 and 2006, New Hampshire residents who work or do business in the Bay State shipped Massachusetts $95 million above what they paid when Romney arrived. The average tax paid by New Hampshirities into Massachusetts grew $458 — from $2,392 in 2002 to $2,850 in 2006 — up 19.1 percent.
Notwithstanding the higher taxes and fees that Romney himself advocated, he claims that he was a powerless victim of a Left-wing legislature. Nonsense. The profusion of Democrats on Beacon Hill did not prevent Romney’s GOP predecessors from dramatically cutting taxes. Former Republican governors William Weld and Paul Cellucci signed more than 40 tax-cut bills while Democrats ran the state house.
Romney seems stuck at 25 percent support among Republicans. That’s because 75 percent of GOP voters simply don’t trust him. There are at least 740.5 million reasons not to trust Romney on taxes, either.
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Romney Tax Hikes Ping!
You’re right!
FREEPERS FOR OBAMA UNITE!!! /s
Again, the Mitt will find plenty of willing democrats to join with rinos to pass taxes in a new congress. And the republicans will be far less likely to oppose a republican president for this than they would a democrat.
Mitt is a pro-tax liberal. Here’s the proof.
Look at how Romney governed, not how his mouth moves.
Indeed!
At this juncture, trashing anyone who is running against Obama is ridiculously illogical....unless you like what Obama is doing to our nation.
And truth be damned?
FREEPERS FOR OBAMA UNITE!!!
lol
Straw man...
Brought to you by 'Conservatives for Statism 2012, ScottinVA, chairman. /s"
Give the 'you're for Obama' crap a rest. The mods have warned against it and I for one have been posting opposition to Baraq since long before you signed up here.
http://capitalgainsandgames.com/blog/bruce-bartlett/2154/reagans-forgotten-tax-record
ABO. Even Reagan would be better.
What is your alternative at this point? I don’t care for him either, but I don’t see a choice at this point. None of the third party candidates have the money or the traction to be viable. Virgil Goode’s (I like him btw) name isn’t even going to be on most ballots and Gary Johnson’s signature issue is legalizing pot.
The Vichy French hunted resistance fighters for the nazi masters much like the Vichy republicans are now turning on conservative resistors.
I prefer risking all to keep my soul intact.
/johnny
Well, good for you.
But it doesn’t change the fact either Obama or Romney will be inaugurated in January.
I was and am not a huge Romney fan however in this election I am voting ABO, period. Unfortunately it is Romney, any other vote is a vote for Obami and from my perspective, we could not even afford one term, two would be the end.
Anyone who does not believe fiscal hard times are coming is a ball lost in the high weeds. How does one bring into balance a budget that is over 1 trillion in deficit mode and now going into next fiscal year with a six month hangover? Answer, not painlessly. We should all know that and be content in the notion that at least the budget cutting will be across the board. Even getting the deficit under control means we will be about 17 trillion in debt? Would one rather Obami was handling this or Romney? For me it is Romney but he should know already, he will be a one term president as he tries to turn this fiscal nightmare around because the voters don’t want their goodies taken away.
You will lose your soul if you vote for Romney and he raises taxes? I’ve heard of those versions of Christianity but I thought it was an 80’s or 90’s thing that kind of died out.
Anyone who does not believe fiscal hard times are coming is a ball lost in the high weeds. How does one bring into balance a budget that is over 1 trillion in deficit mode and now going into next fiscal year with a six month hangover? Answer, not painlessly.
__________________________
You are correct. I believe this is why Christie made the statement about 2016 being a possibility for him.
There is NO way we can avoid pain in the overcoming of our economic problems. I also happen to believe that, if we attempt this without turning back to God and His ways, we are doomed.
You GOPe folks say that Romney has this in the bag so who cares if a few patriots vote for a true conservatives. You liberal Republicans have been touting that Romney is easily going to pulverize Obama so you should have ZERO concern if people vote with principles and either leave the Presidency blank or vote for the conservative.
Key phrase of what I posted: “At this juncture”
We NEED to all be united against Obama. Period.
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