All eight candidates for governor from three parties attended a business-friendly forum in Fishers on Tuesday, with the candidates periodically returning to prepared talking points on taxes and economic development.
In addition to the six candidates appearing on the May Republican ballot (Mike Brown, Brad Chambers, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Eric Dowden, former Attorney General Curtis Hill, and Jamie Lightner), the Forum Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater.
Mr. McCormick was the only candidate to qualify for the Democratic primary, and the Indiana Libertarian Party nominated Mr. Rainwater at a closed convention.
The forum, sponsored by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the Indiana Builders Association, and Americans for Prosperity, featured an introduction and conclusion, as well as six questions.
Audience members chatted with the candidates before and after the lunchtime event.
tax
The general meeting In the middle of 2 years of study It's about the state's tax system and the gradual reduction in income tax to 2.9%. Mr. Crouch's decisive campaign proposal is: “Axe” the state income tax This has an approximately $8 billion impact on state revenue.
Dowden said he was “fully supportive” of the task force and would consider repealing the income tax, but only in a “fiscally responsible manner.”
“Eliminating the income tax at this point would create a 40%, or $8 billion, hole in the budget. So without saying a word about what we would remove from expenses or how we would replace the tax, It’s not a liability,” Dowden said.
While several candidates lamented the state of Indiana's tax system, Chambers was more upbeat, noting that Indiana consistently ranks as one of the most tax-friendly states for businesses.
“Indiana has done a pretty good job. Our Legislature has done a very good job. We rank in the top nine in the nation for low taxes,” Chambers said. “I think the best way to ease the burden on everyone is to grow the population, increase the number of businesses large and small, which increases sales and creates more taxpayers.”
Rainwater has criticized income and sales taxes alike, vowing that if elected governor he would not only veto budget increases but also rein in future taxes.
“We're taxed to death. I don't care that we're better than 40 other states. If we're not number one, we're not good enough.” Rainwater said.
Meanwhile, McCormick also had to deal with income taxes and gas taxes, the latter of which he said was “necessary.” Policy proposals from the Hill Her bigger concern was about “hidden taxes,” an area Republicans have ignored for decades.
“For the last 20 years, Republicans have had a chance. They said we're keeping all these taxes down — ask your locals what's going on with school referendums. Ask them what's going on with some of the hidden taxes that are sneaking up on people,” said McCormick, the former Superintendent of Public Instruction. “We're not having those conversations…because the system we've built doesn't pay attention to our spending priorities (like education).”
role of government
Many of the questions were about the role of state government, including topics related to workforce development, bureaucracy, and government overreach.
Crouch vowed to “consider downsizing state agencies to improve efficiency and eliminate waste in government spending.”
In addition to, Audit of the Department of Family and Social Welfare To avoid such “mistakes,” all efforts have been made to avoid such “mistakes” after a $1 billion shortfall has led government agencies to pursue cost-cutting measures such as cuts to accompanying care programs for parents of children with disabilities. It called for an audit of the agency.
“We look at all the rules and regulations and anything that increases the cost of doing business or slows down the business is eliminated. If there is something more stringent than the federal government, it is on the books. No,” she concluded.
Hill revisited conflicts from his time as Indiana attorney general, including clashes with the federal government over Obamacare (which he called “the biggest federal overreach in my lifetime”) and COVID-19 public health policies. I filed a lawsuit.
“This was a classic example of state government overreach and out of control…and the need for leadership to stop that,” Hill said.
Last week, Faith-Based Writer criticized various events For excluding her, including on Tuesday's forum. After her release, she asked the NFIB to join. She described the event as a “spiritual battle” in Indiana and praised her conservative ideals, including reducing state government.
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“The problem with Indiana is that we're a red state and we have no idea if we're conservative or not,” Leitner said. “…Indiana is not shrinking the size of government or lowering taxes. That is not happening. It has no choice but to do so.”
Brown, who received an endorsement Tuesday morning from the Indiana State Police Alliance, describes himself as a fiscal conservative who voted against deficit-widening legislation under former President Donald Trump, except on certain priorities. Painted. He said he was the only one who could act on the plan laid out on Tuesday.
“Who actually takes the capital, the political capital, the risk to do the hardest things?” Brown said. “Otherwise, you can’t practice what you preach.”
Next week, several Republican candidates will once again take the stage for two televised debates, the first on FOX59/CBS4 and the second on WISH-TV. Mr. Hill did not qualify for the first debate, which was held on Tuesday, March 26th. Leitner was unable to qualify for either Tuesday's debate or Wednesday's debate.
