From the Indianapolis Star:
Gov. Mike Pence said Wednesday he’ll push “cheerfully, respectfully and relentlessly” for a 10 percent cut in personal income taxes to convince a so-far reluctant legislature to enact it.
The budget that passed the Republican-controlled Indiana House on Monday night did not include the tax cut, which Pence made a key part of his election campaign and legislative agenda.
And the Indiana Senate has not committed to including it either, as legislative leaders in both chambers have said they have concerns about the long-term sustainability of the cuts at a time of national fiscal uncertainty. The House also preferred its tax cut choice: Speeding the demise of the inheritance tax.
Pence, a Republican, said he is “still disappointed that the House passed a budget that had significant increases in spending and not one cent of new tax relief for individuals, for working families and for most small businesses.”
Pence said he’s been traveling the state “at a pretty brisk pace, talking to Hoosiers in diners and at dinners and at everywhere in between” about the tax cut.
He hinted that he might be taking that case to a mass audience, as he did not rule out using campaign funds to run TV ads to pitch the tax plan.
“Look, I’m very committed” to making sure Hoosiers know the state can cut taxes and fund priorities, Pence said. “And I don’t want to comment on how we’re going to be communicating or whether we’re going to be communicating but I can tell you we’re burning up a lot of miles around Indiana carrying this case... I’m on the phone, I’m in meetings, I’m talking to people all the time.”
Democrats in the Indiana House tried to get Pence a vote on the tax cut plan during the budget debates, but Republicans blocked them.
Pence gave the Democrats a nod, saying: “I welcome the bipartisan support for income tax relief that we’ve seen in recent days. I’ve been watching from a distance what’s been happening in one chamber of the General Assembly and I appreciate the fact now that members of both political parties in the General Assembly have expressed support for income tax relief, and I look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats to bringing income tax relief to Hoosiers as part of the final budget package.”
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http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013302270065&nclick_check=1
