Judge’s love of higher taxes helps explain why she’s gone missing in Iowa as her favorite holiday nears. The number of times Judge raised taxes might even exceed the number of times Judge has been spotted in the state since launching her phantom candidacy over a month ago.
Tax Day will serve as the ultimate reminder as to why Iowans fired Judge in 2010; as her primary opponent Rob Hogg noted recently, “the last time Lt. Gov. Judge was on the ballot, the Democratic ticket lost by over 100,000 votes.”
Washington Democrats are fired up about Patty Judge and her candidacy.
Given her record on raising taxes, it’s easy to understand why.
BACKGROUND:
Patty Judge And Chet Culver Raised The Sales Tax And Use Tax
In May 2008, Culver Signed A 1 Percent Statewide Sales Tax Increase Into Law. “Gov. Chet Culver on Tuesday signed into law a new 1-cent sales tax to pay for school infrastructure projects…” (Charlotte Eby, “Gov. Culver Signs School Tax,” The Globe Gazette, 5/7/08)
H.F. 2663 Established The Sales Tax At 6 Percent. “Today, Governor Chet Culver signed House File 2663, which establishes Iowa’ sales tax at 6% and uses the extra 1 cent on every dollar spent in Iowa for school infrastructure funding.” (Governor Chet Culver, “Governor Culver Signs Legislation To Strengthen Iowa Schools,” Press Release, 5/6/08)
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The Increased Use Tax Raised Taxes On 13,000 Iowa Businesses. “It raises taxes on 13,000 Iowa businesses by increasing the state use tax by 20% and more than $40 million.” (“School Tax Increase (House File 2663) Hangs By A Thread,” Iowans For Tax Relief, 4/18/08)
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“Iowans Would Pay About $32 Million More Per Year In Consumer Use Taxes On Out-Of-State Purchases.” (Jennifer Jacobs, “Lawmakers Clear New Bill On Sales Tax,” The Des Moines Register, 4/23/08)
- The Tax Was Estimated To Raise $400 Million In Revenue. “An estimated $400 million would be generated by the state tax each year and distributed to schools based on an enrollment formula.” (Charlotte Eby, “Gov. Culver Signs School Tax,” The Globe Gazette, 5/7/08)
Judge And Culver Raised The Cigarette Tax
In 2007, Culver And Judge Increased The Cigarette Tax By $1 Per Pack. The one dollar increase brought the Iowa cigarette tax rate from 42nd highest in the nation to 17th. (Dan Gearino, “Culver Signs Cigarette Tax Hike,” Sioux City Journal, 3/15/07)
Judge Said The Administration Wanted To “Make Cigarettes So Expensive, People Wouldn’t Buy Them.” "One idea we started with was that Iowans should not smoke…The best idea for deterring that behavior was to make cigarettes so expensive, people wouldn’t buy them." (Anne Blankenship, “Judge Talks Health Care At Hamilton Hospital,” The Daily Freeman Journal, 4/14/10)
Ottumwa Courier: “Area Retailers Still Feeling Pinch Of Higher Cigarette Tax.” “It’s been a year since the Iowa Legislature increased the state cigarette tax by $1 per pack and some area retailers are still feeling the impact to their wallets. Bloomfield Gas-N-Mor Owner Jeff Owen said he has seen roughly a 40 percent loss in cigarette sales since last March when the increased tax went into effect. Owen feels the impact more sharply considering Bloomfield is about 10 minutes driving time from the Missouri boarder. …Owen said it costs the retailer more to keep the cigarettes in stock. ‘We have to pay the $1 tax increase, too, per pack and for the cartons,’ he said. ‘It just gets passed down from us to the customers. I don’t blame them for wanting to get something cheaper.’” (Scott Niles, “Area Retailers Still Feeling Pinch Of Higher Cigarette Tax,” Ottumwa Courier, 4/10/08)