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June 28, 2005
Conservative Leaders Say Budget Cuts
Are Ideal Approach for Special Session
By
Mike Hailey
Capitol
Inside Editor
A group of state and national conservative leaders that
includes Republican consultant John Colyandro and
anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist is urging
Texas legislators to cut property taxes by a quarter without
significant changes to business taxation in the state.
In a letter to legislators, the group of eight high-profile
activists recommends "parameters" on revisions
that the Legislature should make in the current tax system
during the summer special session while advocating spending
cuts as the ideal path to tax relief in Texas.
"Of course, the best approach to the state’s
school finance situation is to reduce the tax burden by
reducing spending; this ensures Texans get true tax relief,"
the conservative leaders say in the June 27 letter. "By
reducing spending approximately a billion dollars, property
taxes could be reduced an additional six cents."
"Even though there will be legitimate disagreement
over details, these elements represent the best parts of
plans previously offered by the House, Senate and Governor,"
according to the letter. "This represents a consensus
that provides a vehicle to solve the school finance challenge
in a way that is economically prudent."
Describing themselves as "leaders in the conservative
movement," the group proclaims that a school finance
plan must "reduce property taxes by 25 cents ... maintain
the transparent nature of the Texas tax system ... and enact
no new classes of business taxes."
Colyandro and Norquist have captured recent headlines for
reasons that have little to do with their fiscal conservatism.
Colyandro is under indictment for his role as executive
director for the Texans for a Republican Majority, which
U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay established
in the state for the 2002 elections that put the GOP in
control of the Texas House for the first time since Reconstruction.
The longtime Republican consultant faces a possible 99-year
sentence if convicted of money laundering charges stemming
from his work for TRMPAC. Two other DeLay associates have
also been indicted in connection with TRMPAC's fundraising.
Norquist, the president of the Americans for Tax Reform,
is known widely for the anti-tax pledge that his group has
secured from legislators across the country including several
dozen in Texas. He was in the news in Texas in early 2004
as a member of group that traveled to the Bahamas with Governor
Rick Perry for an unofficial summit on
school finance. A key GOP strategist on the state and national
levels, Norquist triggered a firestorm earlier this week
when he blasted Republican U.S. Senators Susan Collins,
Olympia Snowe and John McCain as
"the two girls from Maine and the nut-job from Arizona."
The letter to Texas legislators was also signed by Paul
Gessing, the director of government affairs for
the National Taxpayer Union. Gessing, whose opinion columns
have appeared in leading national newspapers and magazines,
was an official with the Marijuana Policy Project before
joining the NTU. The Marijuana Policy Project is a leading
advocate for the legalization of marijuana for medicinal
use.
The conservative leaders who signed the letter to lawmakers
include Cathie Adams of the Texas Eagle
Forum, James Cardle of the Texas Club for
Growth, Brooke Rollins of the Texas Public
Policy Foundation, Janelle Shephard of
Texans for Texas and Peggy Venable of the
Americans for Prosperity.
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