Nisly Opposed Tax Hike

Editor, Times-Union:

Tax season officially ended two weeks ago, but paying them hasn’t stopped. Property taxes, sales taxes, use taxes, etc., they’re everywhere. It seems there isn’t a tax politicians haven’t considered and subsequently hiked.

This was especially true last year when Indiana lawmakers raised the state’s gas tax. HB 1002 supposedly was to “fix Hoosier infrastructure.” Yet if you read the legislation, the state will continue to deposit almost 54 cents of every dollar to the general fund in the state fiscal year 2020, down to 10.7 cents of every dollar. And that is just based on the legislation that is written. What is to stop future politicians from changing that formula and taking money away from roads and bridges three years from now and moving it to somewhere else? For example, in two years, Indianapolis politicians may take some of the money that is set aside for roads and bridges, and move it to public sector pensions.

What is disappointing in the General Assembly is that there wasn’t any discussion of where else the money could be found. It is as if they gave up and immediately went with a gas tax hike – one which will impact middle and lower class Hoosiers and especially the elderly. Our state representative, Curt Nisly, campaigned on being opposed to tax hikes. He said that there should be cuts in spending long before any tax hike is put on the table.

We are proud that our state representative, Curt Nisly, voted the way he said he was going to vote. He stood up for those in his district by doing what he said he would do with his vote against the tax hike. We support his integrity and hope that everyone will vote for Curt Nisly in the May 8 primary.

A.J. and Gayle Lane

New Paris, via email