Busy Huckabee Tries to Fudge His Record On Taxes In New Hampshire

When former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee visits New Hampshire today he will no doubt attempt to spin the facts about his fiscal record. Despite evidence to the contrary, Huckabee continues to deny his record of raising taxes as Governor in attempt to pander to the right wing conservative base. But the truth is, Mike Huckabee has a long history of fiscal irresponsibility and was rated one of the worst among freshman state executives by the Fiscal Policy Report Card, much to the chagrin of the same conservatives he's trying to impress.

"Mike Huckabee's claims that he's an anti-tax executive are just plain untrue," said Democratic National Committee spokesperson Amaya Smith. "Apparently, Huckabee thinks that he can make false statements and people won't check the facts. As Governor, Huckabee implemented an increase on everything from cigarettes, to gasoline and even on driver's licenses. It's clear that Huckabee is more sincere about trying to fool the right wing extremists in his own Party than trying to serve all Americans. While he's in New Hampshire he should use this opportunity to stop the spin and be forthcoming about his real record as a tax and spend Governor."

Huckabee Is Really a "Tax-And-Spend" Politician. According to an editorial in the Arkansas Leader, "Regardless of his (Huckabee's) rhetoric at Memphis and elsewhere in his travels, his record as a tax-and-spend, big-government politician won't help in a party that is now captive of the far right. His personal story, unlike the prisoner-of-war John McCain's, is not compelling: a Baptist preacher who goes into politics and melts off a hundred pounds of baby fat under medical-school supervision." [Arkansas Leader, 3/15/06]

Few Knew at Republican Conference That Huckabee Raised Taxes on Working Families. While Mike Huckabee touted himself as a fiscal conservative at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, according to an editorial in the Arkansas Leader, Huckabee implemented "a string of tax increases largely on Arkansas working families that far offset the little income tax cut: three sales tax increases, expansion of the sales tax to many services, an income tax surcharge, gasoline taxes, diesel taxes, cigarette and tobacco taxes and a drivers license increase. The delegates may not have known that he helped arrange the largest expansions of government-paid medical care in Arkansas history (largely paid by U.S. taxpayers), compiled a larger general-obligation debt than all previous governors combined, increased the number of government employees by 20 percent (to 52,440 in January) in only nine and a half years and conducted a liberal policy of criminal pardons and commutations." [Arkansas Leader, 3/15/06]

Newspaper "There Was No Straight Talk" From Huckabee On Recent Tax Questions. Asked about his record of raising taxes in Arkansas, Governor Huckabee "said he had cut taxes 94 times and that all the other governors in Arkansas' 160 years had never cut taxes a single time among them." The Arkansas Leader responded, saying, "That was manifestly a lie. He had been corrected on that several times in Arkansas since he began to utter it." Other Arkansas governors "engineered serious tax cuts, although like Huckabee they had raised taxes even more." The newspaper also accused Huckabee of trying to take credit for a 1997 income tax cut that was prescribed by his predecessor. And finally, the newspaper attacked Huckabee for misstating that the Arkansas voters were responsible for higher highway taxes. In conclusion the newspaper warned, "There was no straight talk from our man on his maiden outing, and straight talk is his only chance to set himself apart from the vast field. He often claims heavenly guidance. Now is the time to listen to it." [The Arkansas Leader, 1/31/07]

Huckabee Said "Taxes Don't Need to Go Up Just Because They Can." Speaking to an audience, Mike Huckabee talked about his anti-tax views. "I have a feeling most of you believe that the people who work and earn money and have to pay taxes, somehow ought to get to keep more of that money than a government who didn't work for it and who will take more of it and more of it and more if it if they think they can get away with it," Huckabee said. "And it always has occurred to me that the people who earn the money probably will do a better job of spending it than the people that didn’t earn it. That's why taxes don't need to go up just because they can and because somebody has a spending habit that you're supposed to be able to fix." [Remarks at Iowa Christian Coalition, 3/6/06]

Then On National Television, Huckabee Dodged Pledge Not To Raise Taxes As President. Asked if he would keep raising federal taxes on the table as President, Mike Huckabee dodged the question, saying "I think you got to be very careful. I wouldn't propose any new taxes. I wouldn't support any. But if we’re in a situation where we are in a different level of war, where there is no other option, I think that it's a very dangerous position to make pledges that are outside the most important pledge you make, and that is the oath you take to uphold the Constitution and protect the people of the United States." [Meet the Press, 1/28/07]

Huckabee Raised Taxes Over His Tenure As Governor, Hurting the Middle-Class. Governor Huckabee pushed for a sales tax increase in 1996, 2002 and 2004, and a fuel tax in 1999 squeezing the pockets of middle-class citizens on everyday purchases and for workers who needed to drive to and from work. Huckabee also made it clear he opposed sales tax exemption bills because they would hurt his tight state budget. A conservative fiscal group pointed out that "by the end of his ten-year tenure, Governor Huckabee was responsible for a 37% higher sales tax in Arkansas, 16% higher motor fuel taxes." [Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 1/19/06; The Commercial Appeal, 7/1/99, The Associated Press, 4/2/99; Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/15/02, The Associated Press, 11/15/02; AP, 2/6/04; Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 1/19/06; Club for Growth, Presidential White Paper #1]

Huckabee Has Been Selected As the First Presidential Contender For Conservative Groups to Attack Because of His Dishonesty on Tax Issues. "Huckabee is preparing to run as the "true" GOP conservative but "Huckabee's appeal to the party's conservative base - at least those factions who focus more on economic issues - appears far from guaranteed. One fiscally conservative group, the Club for Growth, is already opposing Huckabee based on its interpretation of his record on spending and taxes in Arkansas." In fact, Club for Growth has targeted Huckabee as the first presidential candidate to highlight because "many candidates" like Huckabee "will say they do support these [fiscally conservative] policies. For some, their records in office suggest otherwise." [New York Times, 2/6/07; Club for Growth, Presidential White Paper #1]

Key Fiscal Conservatives Warn Other Republicans Against Huckabee. Americans for Tax Reform's Grover Norquist said that Huckabee "would have a serious problem" getting his support in a White House bid since he raised taxes. And Andy Roth, director of federal affairs at the Club for Growth added, "I've been screaming at the top of my lungs at the Club for Growth blog about Huckabee's poor record on taxes while conservatives have been extremely nice to him...Just so you know, if Huckabee continues to get good press, I'm only going to get louder. Republicans shouldn't be (electing) a tax hiker as president." [Hotline On-Call, 3/27/06; The Hotline, 5/13/05]

National Review: Huckabee "Tax-And-Spend Fever." According to the conservative National Review's Tim Carney, "Huckabee is certainly not alone as a Republican governor eager to raise taxes, but his tax-and-spend fever has effects in Washington..." Huckabee has been called a "habitual tax-hiker," by Republican groups. [Club for Growth, 2/27/06; National Review, 5/19/03]

Huckabee Went From a "Fiscal Responsibility" Grade of "D" to "F". The conservative Cato Institute gave Mike Huckabee a "D" grade, the 3rd worst rating among non-freshman state executives in its Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors in 2004, only to give him an "F" in 2006. [Cato Institute Fiscal Policy Report Card, 2004-2006]