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Fernald income tax plan is flawed says Benson [NH Governor]
The Union Leader ^ | 9/24/02 | Tom Fahey

Posted on 09/24/2002 7:57:27 AM PDT by BlackRazor

Fernald income tax plan is flawed says Benson

By TOM FAHEY

State House Bureau Chief

CONCORD —Republican candidate for governor Craig Benson argued yesterday that state Sen. Mark Fernald’s income tax plan will cost taxpayers more, bring spiraling tax rates and cost families income in the long run.

Fernald, a Democrat from Sharon, is running on a platform that calls for an income tax, which he says is the fairest way to raise the same amount of money for education. He proposes a 4 percent tax to raise money that would cut state and local property taxes in half and allow the repeal of the Business Enterprise Tax.

Benson said neither Fernald’s math nor his assumptions work out, describing them as “Mark’s myths.”

Studies by the conservative Cato Institute and the Lincoln Center for Policy Studies, he said, show states with an income tax increase spending faster, experience higher deficits, see tax rates climb and pay an overall higher tax burden.

“The best solution is to control spending We need to return fiscal discipline to state government,” Benson said.

Fernald said last week that Benson is ignoring a growing fiscal crisis in the state. Even if Benson froze education aid at this year’s levels and limited spending increases to less than 2 percent, he said, the state would see a $167 million deficit over the next two years.

Fernald, whom Benson outspent by a 30-to-1 margin in the primary election phase, released a poll yesterday that showed him even with Benson, at 40 percent each, with 20 percent of voters undecided.

The poll by Bannon Communications was conducted among 500 registered voters between Sept. 18 and 22. Its margin of error was 4.5 percent.

Fernald is a two-term state senator and attorney in private practice. Benson is co-founder of Cabletron Systems. He spent nearly $10 million in his primary campaign to capture 36.6 percent of the GOP vote.

At a press conference yesterday, Benson said the Fernald tax plan has already been proven flawed in studies of other states that passed income tax plans.

He predicted the income tax rate and spending will rise. He pointed to New Hampshire income tax proposals that have called for increasing rates over the years: from 3 percent in 1999 to 4 percent now.

“How can he said that the rate won’t increase when he keeps jacking it up before he can even get in place,” Benson asked.

Fernald spokesman Steve Marchand said the Fernald plan would be revenue neutral. One advantage is that the state would collect between $80 million and $120 million from out-of-state workers who now pay the income tax at home, he said.

“We have one of the lowest tax burdens as a state in the country and it’s our aim to keep it just that way, but there’s a lot better ways to raise that same amount of money,” he said.

He admitted some people will pay more in taxes under an income tax.

“Our general philosophy is if the Craig Bensons of the world pay their fair share, the vast majority of people in New Hampshire will get a tax cut,” he said. “We’re not asking people to pay a burden higher than what we’re paying now as a state.”


TOPICS: New Hampshire; Campaign News; Polls; State and Local
KEYWORDS: benson; fernald; governor; newhampshire

1 posted on 09/24/2002 7:57:28 AM PDT by BlackRazor
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To: conservative_2001; Coop; DeaconBenjamin; Congressman Billybob; frmrda; KQQL; rightwingbob; ...
Poll Ping!

This one might take the Wishful Thinking award for the day! The poll cited above shows Fernald tied with Benson, 40-40. The independent ARG poll, released last Friday, showed Benson with a 55-30 lead.

Coop: Have you ever heard of Bannon Communications?

If you want on or off my poll ping list, let me know!

2 posted on 09/24/2002 8:00:55 AM PDT by BlackRazor
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To: BlackRazor
I saw this poll yesterday and had never heard of Bannon. I did a quick sort on the spreadsheet, and this is the only time Bannon appeared on any listing.
3 posted on 09/24/2002 8:11:58 AM PDT by Coop
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To: BlackRazor; Coop
They appear to be a Democrat polling firm. They did primary polling in the Arizona gubernatorial primary, too.

Benson is ahead. He has a good team that beat a two-term senator and reigning nominee and he did so in an environment where the conservative vote was split two-ways while a moderate ran well with independents.
4 posted on 09/24/2002 9:51:35 AM PDT by GraniteStateConservative
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To: BlackRazor
If Bannon Communications is owned by a Tim Bannon, he is a bright fellow from Connecticut who ran a Gary Hart campaign there some years ago and is off the left edge of the earth hanging by his breaking fingernails. If it is Tim Bannon, one need not lose sleep over the reliability of the poll. He also used to work for the Connecticut State Tax Department (euphemistically named the Department of Revenue Services).
5 posted on 09/26/2002 10:02:47 AM PDT by BlackElk
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