What Euphemism For ‘Tax Increase’ Do You Prefer?
“The word-mincing going on around here gets creative.”
That was what Republican House Minority Leader Marty Seifert said at a media availability session last Friday in reference to ‘Democratic-speak’ and how he believes the DFL will seek to raise taxes, without saying they are about to raise taxes. Seifert continued:
“The Democrats have been avoiding using the word ‘tax increases’ – real shock to hear that – you hear about ‘inflows’, and ‘revenue enhancements’, and ‘balancing’ and all that stuff.”
The Minority Leader also forgot to mention one of DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher’s favorite phrases, “Fairer revenue raise.”
Seifert also suggested on Friday that the Speaker is not being honest with Minnesotans about the scope of taxes the DFL plans to raise:
“The Speaker said on MPR two days ago that she is not a fan of the clothing tax. You may not be a fan of the Yankees but you might go to their games.”
Later that morning at a joint media availability session with the Speaker, DFL Majority Leader Tony Sertich shot back, criticizing Seifert’s characterization of Minnesota’s business climate and focus on the corporate tax rate as “myopic.”
This past weekend, another DFL leader introduced more phrases into the lexicon of policy discussions on tax increases. Speaking at the Senate District 41 DFL convention on Saturday, House Taxes Committee Chair, Representative Ann Lenczewski (DFL-Bloomington) stated:
“But there is no doubt that the Minnesota House will be proposing revenue to solve the deficit…we’ve now begun the process of making a bunch of very difficult choices. And there will be cuts. There will also be progressive revenue proposed. You will be seeing that as time goes on here. So I know that a lot of people are waiting for that and we appreciate that. It’s part of how the process works to get to a final solution. So, I know that you understand the need for progressive taxation, we will be getting to that point. “
What is the end game to this cat and mouse play at the Capitol as they try to balance the state budget? It’s pretty clear to Seifert:
“At the end of the day there will be a tax increase that they propose and he (The Governor) will veto and we’ll sustain. And the question is when are we going to go through that exercise. It’s not if we’re going to go through that exercise, it’s when…They were raising taxes when we had a two billion dollar budget surplus and almost a billion dollars in the budget reserve, so you think they’re not going to raise taxes when we’ve got a mult-billion dollar deficit? Of course they are.”
So, what euphemism for ‘tax increase’ do you prefer?
1) Inflows
2) Revenue enhancements
3) Balancing
4) Fairer revenue raise
5) Progressive revenue
6) Progressive taxation
Or do you have your own choice phrase?
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Progressive revenue doesn’t play well with the upper middle class who think of progressive taxes as Socialist Robin Hood. Balancing clearly makes the stark numbers showing the exact opposite in this week’s Tax Incidence Study even harder to ignore, so that’s a winner.
The cat runs behind the rat and the rat behind the cat in a round path, this is how the situation is. This game never ends like Tom & Jerry.Smart Tax,Tax Strategies,Smart Tax Strategies, Real Estate Investor, Real Estate,Real Estates Association
I prefer progressive revenue. It is unlikely to draw the kind of knee jerk reaction that normally follows any discussion involving income tax. Of course I am always amazed by the fact that governments operate as though every service that is provided is essential and thus expenditures cannot be reduced to match the current inflows.