Unemployment in Mississippi and the nation is at an all-time high due to the Corona virus and the shut down of the world economy. Businesses have been forced to shut their doors creating long term economic disaster for business owners and employees. The result of this economic disaster is a sharp decrease in personal income; people are struggling to pay their bills and feed their families.
So what is the Mississippi legislature’s answer to this dilemma?
Raise Taxes!
Republicans have always heralded themselves as the political party that you can trust to fight for smaller government and lower taxes. Republicans campaign on reducing the tax burden government places on citizens and decreasing the amount of your hard-earned money taken from you.
On the Mississippi Republican Party’s website it states,
Mississippi Republicans support the reduction of the tax burden on our citizens. We believe our tax burden is too high, our tax code is too complicated, and our tax system is inefficient. We believe in the reduction of taxes to empower taxpayers, to create a more competitive environment for job creation, to incentivize work, entrepreneurship, and investment, and to prevent the excessive growth of government.
The majority of the members in the Mississippi legislature claim to be Republicans and campaign on the Republican platform, so why did the legislature pass multiple bills that increase taxes on the citizens of Mississippi?
Here are the tax increases coming to the people of Mississippi, thanks to your Republican legislature.
HB379 – Mississippi Marketplace Facilitator Act of 2020
This bill authorizes the state to tax, regulate and audit online “marketplace facilitators” (companies that facilitate the online buying and selling of personal property like Etsy or Amazon Marketplace). It also includes a provision that allows this tax to be passed on to those who purchase items through the facilitator. This bill is an attempt by the state government to become involved in the growing online market of personal property. This state involvement in these online marketplaces will surely raise costs in this marketplace and make these online facilitators less inclined to operate with potential sellers/buyers
HB1159 – City of Florence, extends tax on bars and restaurants
HB1425 – City of Fulton, extends tax on hotel/motel rooms
HB1606 – City of Water Valley, authorizes a tax on restaurants
HB1661 – City of Pearl, extends tax on hotels/motels and restaurants
SB2119 – City of Pontotoc, extends tax on hotels/motels and restaurants
SB2183 – City of Houston, extends tax on hotels/motels and restaurants
SB2905 – City of Hattiesburg, extends tax on hotels/motels and restaurants
SB2908 – City of West Point, extends tax on hotels/motels and restaurants
SB2924 – City of Winona, extends tax on restaurants
What is the answer?
Are politicians telling you the truth when they campaign as Republicans? If they campaign as Republicans why don’t they legislate by the Republican platform and beliefs?
I campaign as a Republican because I believe that lower taxes and smaller government is the only way our state will be prosperous. I believe in the Republican platform and I vote as a legislator on those ideals and principles.
It’s time the Republican politicians return to the ideals and beliefs they were elected to uphold or you send them home.
