Continuing To Work At Improving Life For Hoosiers

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INDIANAPOLIS – Let’s talk about the tax cuts that our governor and his majorities think we need in 2014.

They tell us we need to do more to improve Indiana’s economic climate.

How do the experts on such things think we are doing right now?

  • Indiana ranks 1st in the Midwest and 5th in the nation in Chief Executive Magazine’s annual “Best and Worst States” survey (May 2013).
  • Indiana ranks 1st in the Midwest and 2nd in the nation in Site Selection Magazine’s annual Top 10 Competitive States of 2012 ranking (May 2013).
  • Indiana ranks 1st in the Midwest and 10th nationally in the Tax Foundation’s 2014 Business Tax Climate Index (October 2013).

How are Hoosiers doing in this business climate?

  • Over the past decade, household incomes have declined by a greater percentage than 47 other states.
  • The income for the average Hoosier is more than 10 percent lower than his or her fellow Americans.
  • Seven in 10 jobs do not pay enough to allow one parent to stay at home with the kids.
  • Hoosier women only make 73 cents on the dollar of what men make…the 6th worst wage gap in the country.

So the business types think we’re doing great, but the middle class isn’t seeing much from it.

And what are the governor and his majorities doing to correct this disparity…or should I say,mess?

Well, they want to cut corporate taxes again and raise taxes on the rest of us. More specifically:

  • They want to cut the state corporate income tax…again.
  • They want to give out “super abatements” to companies that can last as long as 25 years.
  • That means the companies will pay little or no property taxes over that period of time, and that means families and homeowners will have to pay more to make up the gap.

How will this improve Hoosier incomes and get them back to work?

It won’t.

There are two weeks left in the 2014 legislative session. There is plenty of time to do something to help the middle class, but what we have seen to date does not give me much cause for optimism.

We were able to do some things last week to help you. Here are a few highlights:

  • At least one in six Hoosier girls has been sexually assaulted or raped. We need to find out why this is happening. A proposal from House Democrats will help set in motion a plan to find answers to this crisis.
  • The State Board of Finance is a group that has the ability to transfer millions of state tax dollars from one place to another without explaining why. House Democrats passed a proposal that requires this Board to tell the public what it does and why.
  • Our state ranks fifth in the nation in the number of child deaths. House Democrats led the way in passing a plan that will fund solutions to find the best ways to reduce those horrifying numbers.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. More bogus class warfare from the girl with an Urbana size ketchup stain on her shirt.

  3. Keep fighting for the working man! The hate for this fine public servant is blind.

  4. Republicans have the super majority in both house and senate and the spoiled are still boo-hoo”ing” about several years back. Did you not get what you wanted, or did ones ego still bruised from when the dems outsmarted the rep. for that short period of time?

  5. Gail works hard for her constituents and I for one really appreciate her. We have personally discussed issues that are important and I find her willing to listen and to act on things we discussed. If some of you cannot get beyond the IL thing, perhaps it is time you visited another state. I don’t think you would be missed.

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