Look who's raising taxes: Republican-run states

[Johnny Stew]

(Just an interesting Op/Ed piece for those who vote Republican in order to avoid a raise in their taxes.)

Look who's raising taxes: Republican-run states
Mon May 17, 6:22 AM ET

When Virginia's legislature voted last month to raise taxes by $1.5 billion to fund spending on education, roads and other needs, Republicans who see tax cutting as the party's binding issue were dismayed. The tax hike had been approved by a Republican-controlled legislature with a tradition of fiscal conservatism. More remarkable: It was $360 million more than Democratic Gov. Mark Warner had requested.

Virginia reflects a nationwide trend. The Republican Party, long the champion of less government and low taxes, has backed large boosts in spending and taxes in many states where the GOP controls the legislature, the governor's mansion or both. On average, the largest spending increases from 1997 through 2002 occurred in states where Republicans controlled both branches, according to a 2003 analysis by USA TODAY.

The trend appears broad enough to ask whether the country's two-decade entrancement with tax cuts may be easing.

Politically, Virginia's legislators had little choice. For years, politicians of both parties ignored warnings that explosive population growth in parts of the state - notably its Washington suburbs - would lead to gridlock. It did. At the same time, the public, particularly the business community, began demanding more spending for education.

Squeezed on one side by angry constituents and on the other by constitutional requirements to balance budgets, Virginia Republicans did the right thing: They made a decision, and they paid for it.

The Bush administration - now under pressure from fiscally conservative Republicans in Congress to pay for its burgeoning deficit with spending cuts - could learn from the experience.

Bush has pushed tax cuts and accepted sharply higher spending, indulging a something-for-nothing fantasy the nation can ill-afford. This year's deficit, now nearing $500 billion, would require more than $1,500 of borrowing for every person in the country. That's not free money. It's paid in inflationary pressure, risk to retiring baby boomers and debt handed to our children.

States, facing balanced-budget requirements that Washington lacks, have no such luxury. The surprise is that the political terrain has shifted enough that more spending is the solution. Some recent examples:

Ohio. Spending in the Buckeye state has risen 71% during the past decade, when Republicans have controlled both the governor's office and the legislature. To fund this spending, Republican Gov. Bob Taft, backed by the GOP legislature, has increased the sales tax by 20%, upped the gasoline tax by two cents a gallon and increased numerous small business fees.

Idaho. Spending is up more than 60% in the past decade, mainly under GOP rule. Last year, Republican Gov. Dirk Kempthorne sought a sales tax increase. He asked the GOP-controlled legislature to raise the tax from 5% to 6.5%. He settled for 6%.

Georgia. In 2003, less than 24 hours after becoming the state's first Republican governor in more than a century, Sonny Purdue proposed hiking taxes by about $762 million to close a budget gap.

Republicans argue that GOP advocates of higher taxes and spending are few. That's nothing to boast about if the alternative is fiscal irresponsibility.