GOP no new taxes mantra leads to new taxes by other names

The knee-jerk swooning for toll roads is Exhibit A. Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi, all GOP-governed states, have passed sweeping toll road legislation. Florida’s law is even clearly directed at privatizing and tolling currently free and state-owned roadways.

Especially in this case, where the road was already built by tax money, it’s a new tax. Even if it’s to build a new road, if a toll road bill doesn’t have sunset provisions to make the toll system go ahead once the original cost of the road is paid off, it’s a new tax.

Fact is, especially at the statehouse level, where GOP governors are too chickenshit to tell Grover Norquist where to get off, GOP-controlled legislatures, and GOP governors, are going to devise more new fees, surcharges, user moneys, etc. all the time while refusing to call them “taxes” and continuing to repeat the “no new taxes” mantra.

It’s governance of the worst kind, that fails to confront the middle class and say:

Here’s the services you want. Here’s how much they cost. Now, how do you want to pay the bill?

(It should also be noted that most states’ tax systems are more regressive than the federal one, including federal FICA taxes.)