Huckabee was forced to admit that he did raise net taxes by over $500
million to pay for increased government spending:
http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Huckabee_Hearts_1.13
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPh67alcYSI
"BUT YOU DID RAISE TAXES, DIDN'T YOU, GOVERNOR?"
Gov. Huckabee Supported Higher Taxes & More Government Spending
"Taxes are a necessary part of funding a reasonable and responsible
government. Taxing too little can result in financial imbalances and
deficits as well as underfunding truly vital roles the government
should fill…" – Gov. Mike Huckabee (Gov. Mike Huckabee, From Hope To
Higher Ground, 2007, p. 101)
Gov. Huckabee's Record Of Higher Taxes And More Big-Government Spending:
This Morning, Gov. Huckabee Admitted That He Raised Taxes To Pay For
Increased Government Spending. CBS' BOB SCHIEFFER: "But you did raise
taxes, didn't you, Governor? I mean in addition to cutting taxes you
did raise some taxes?" HUCKABEE: "Bob when you're under a Supreme
Court order, you do what you need to do to improve your schools. I
worked with our legislature. And we got major really improvements done
in our school system that without our kids would still be languishing
in last place. I don't apologize for raising the expectations and the
hopes and the opportunities for the kids of my state. I don't
apologize for building roads either. I'd apologize for leaving my
roads in a mess is what I'd be apologizing for if I hadn't done it."
(CBS' "Face The Nation," 1/13/08; www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPh67alcYSI)
Huckabee Raised Taxes $883.1 Million, Cut $378 Million In Taxes, For A
Net Tax Increase Of $505.1 Million. "But a review of tax legislation
passed while he was governor shows a net tax increase of $505 million,
a figure adjusted for inflation and economic growth, according to the
state Department of Finance and Administration. … The 90 cuts reduced
tax collections by $378 million, according to the Department of
Finance and Administration. Meanwhile, the department counts 21 tax
increases that raised collections by $883.1 million." (Daniel Nasaw,
"Gaps Led To Taxing In Huckabee Years," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,
10/9/07)
FactCheck.org: "Overall, His Tax Increases Outweighed His Tax Cuts By
More Than $500 Million." "As we've said several times now, Huckabee's
94 tax cuts include things like a reduction for manufacturing
machinery that reduced state coffers by $500 per year. And, overall,
his tax increases outweighed his tax cuts by more than $500 million.
As for signing the first broad-based tax cut in 160 years, we've noted
before that then-governor Bill Clinton signed an income-tax reduction
in 1991 that was quite similar to the one that Huckabee signed a few
years later. 'Broad-based' is a matter of interpretation, but
Huckabee's claim still sounds like unwarranted hyperbole to us."
(FactCheck.org, www.factcheck.org, Posted 1/7/08)
The Average Arkansan Saw Their Taxes Increase Almost $1,000 Under Gov.
Huckabee. "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." (Daniel Nasaw, "Gaps
Led To Taxing In Huckabee Years," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/9/07)
