Huckabee’s repeated claim that he passed ’94 tax cuts’ as governor

“I governed in a state that was the most lopsided and partisan in the country. … My friend, it was tough sledding, but I learned how to govern, and I learned how to lead. And even in that environment, we passed 94 tax cuts, rebuilt our road system, saw dramatic improvements in student test scores and fought the corruption of the good old boy system so that working class people would finally be given a fair shake.”

– Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R), speech announcing his presidential candidacy, May 5, 2015

In his speech launching his presidential bid for 2016, Huckabee touted a record that came under scrutiny during his last presidential run. Huckabee said he “passed 94 tax cuts,” while highlighting his achievements as governor. Arkansas’s current governor, Asa Hutchinson (R), also said in his introductory speech that his predecessor “lowered taxes.”

In 2008, The Fact Checker gave Huckabee Two Pinocchios for his claim. Other fact-checkers arrived at similar findings. The anti-tax Club for Growth attacked Huckabee (whom the group called “Tax Hike Mike”) for his claim about tax cuts during the campaign in 2007, and it already has launched an ad about his record on taxes.

The Facts

The Cato Institute gave Huckabee a B grade in its 1998 Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors, which is published every other year. The grade is generated based on 23 measures of fiscal performance, of the state’s expenditure, revenue and tax rate. Huckabee received lower grades throughout his tenure: C in 2000 and 2002, D in 2004 and, in 2006, an F. He left office with an overall grade of D for his spending practices and tax increases.

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