Iowans for Tax Relief Host a Costume Party
There's a tax-week masquerade ball going on in Des Moines this afternoon as Ed Failor Jr.'s Iowans for Tax Relief puts on a big to-do for Terry Branstad, and each pretends to be something he is not.
Iowans for Tax Relief used to be one of Terry Branstad's biggest critics, though they have become strangely silent in this year’s Republican primary. Meanwhile, Terry Branstad - who raised taxes on hard-working Iowans as Governor – pretends to be a fiscal conservative.
"Iowans who want real tax relief should not vote for Terry Branstad," said Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan. "And, don’t expect Iowans for Tax Relief to stand up for hard-working Iowans either."
In fact, in 1993 when Branstad raised the sales tax, Ed Failor Sr., then- lobbyist for Iowans for Tax Relief and current board member, criticized then-Governor Branstad for breaking his promise not to raise taxes.
Failor Sr. said, "The governor has gone back on his word."[1] He even speculated, "I think anybody who's a part of this agreement will be hurt politically."
Governor Branstad, however, didn't just raise the sales tax in 1993. He raised the sales tax twice[2] and the gas tax five times.[3] Branstad even tried to tax Social Security benefits.[4]
In 1987, Branstad advocated for the elimination of federal deductibility[5], which isn’t exactly popular with Iowans for Tax Relief, who have called it a "tax on a tax."[6]
"Iowans for Tax Relief and Terry Branstad are just masquerading. It will be no surprise when Iowans for Tax Relief go back on their own mission and allow Terry Branstad to dodge his own record of raising taxes on Iowa's families," added Kiernan.
Sources:
- Cedar Rapids Gazette, 6/25/92.
- Iowa Department of Revenue, Iowa Tax Rate History, Accessed 10/2/09.
- Iowa Department of Revenue, Iowa Tax Rate History, Accessed 10/2/09.
- Des Moines Register, 1/11/84
- Des Moines Register, 1/23/87
- TaxRelief.org, Accessed 4/17/10.