Joe Carter articulately responds to the critique written by the Club for Growth regarding the track record of Governor Huckabee from 1996-2007. Governor Huckabee’s accomplishments:
1. Pushed through a Democrat legislature the first, major broad based tax cuts in the state’s history.
2. Pushed through a Democrat legislature an $80 million tax cut package.
3. Cut the state’s capital gains tax by 25%.
4. Established a Property Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights
5. Limited the increase in property taxes to 10% a year for individuals and 5% per taxing unit
6. Eliminated the income tax for families below the poverty line.
7. Increased the standard deductions.
8. Eliminated the marriage penalty.
9. Eliminated bracket creep by indexing the income taxes to inflation, thereby preventing taxpayers from moving
into a higher bracket when their paychecks increase due to inflations.
10. Doubled the child care tax credit.
11. Eliminated capital gains tax on the sale of a home.
Carter’s conclusion:
I’m embarrassed that I initially relied on Andrew Roth’s white paper when I formed my first impression of Gov. Huckabee. I’m even more embarrassed that others that have read this sloppy analysis believe it is a damning indictment. I’ve always considered The Club for Growth to be a respectable conservative organization. But their attempts to deceive their fellow conservatives by misrepresenting Huckabee’s record have proven they are unworthy of such trust. Pat Toomey and his organization owe Governor Huckabee–and the rest of us–an apology for their attempted deception.