Scott Tibbs

Printed in the Indiapolis Star, 12-06-2001

Now is not the time to raise state taxes

To the editor:

It's not surprising that after spending us into a budget crisis, our "leaders" in state government want to confiscate our wealth at ever increasing rates. Under the O'Bannon/Kernan plan, all Hoosiers will pay at least 14.7% more in income taxes. Hoosiers who earn above $90,000 a year will see a tax increase of 29.4% on income above that level. This at a time when Hoosiers will also be facing significant property tax hikes with reassessment.

Others in state government want to expand gambling in Indiana, with one of the stated reasons for it being that taxes on gambling would fill state coffers at a time when expenditures exceed revenues. But given an October 28th expose' in the Indianapolis Star on how the Hoosier Lottery disproportionately impacts the poor, legislators should be mindful of the human cost gambling brings before expanding gambling to satisfy their lust for more tax revenues.

Hoosiers should ask themselves if they really want to allow the people who grossly mismanaged the Build Indiana Fund and attempted to exempt themselves from the state open records law to take more of our money.

With the economy sagging and in need of a boost, President Bush is encouraging Congress to let the people keep more of what they earn. Unfortunately, Governor O'Bannon and Lieutenant Governor Kernan have decided that taking money out of the economy is the route they want to take during the current recession. While Bush moves the nation forward, O'Bannon and Kernan are moving Indiana backward.