By Dan Carpenter in the Indianapolis Star:
Do Hoosiers even want Gov. Mike Pence’s income tax cut?
And should they, considering that Indiana has one of the most regressive, elitist, tax systems in the nation, and what’s on the table will only make matters worse?
The first question was put to Pence in a recent meeting with The Star’s Editorial Board, in which the resounding lack of buzz about his signature goal was noted.
The governor insisted there was plenty of popular support for a proposal that even his Republican allies in the legislature find excessive.
Where is the yardstick for that claim?
The most prominent offered so far is beyond weak.
The fiercely ideological Americans for Prosperity Indiana, founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers, released a poll in which it found 52 percent of Indiana respondents favored “substantial tax relief.”
Not much of a groundswell, considering the poll’s sponsor. And especially considering that Public Opinion Strategies, which conducted the survey, is a Republican polling firm.
For an objective picture, go back to December, as Pence prepared his 10 percent solution for the 2013 General Assembly session.
A poll conducted by WISH-TV and the Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University found that 64 percent of Hoosiers preferred spending surplus revenues on employment and education to giving rebates to taxpayers.
So what are Pence and the legislative leadership doing?
Cutting income taxes, in all likelihood and at some level, for the average Hoosier.
And, far more quietly, cutting lots of taxes for the above-average payer.
...
See the full editorial here:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013304210031
