Burns, Tester spar over taxes
2006-09-14
Source: Helena Independent Record
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rss feedIn new ads Wednesday, Republican Sen. Conrad Burns on Wednesday accused Democratic opponent Jon Tester of voting repeatedly as a state legislator for bills to raise taxes on Montanans.
"Jon Tester isn't being honest when he claims he cut taxes," the Burns TV ad says. "In fact, Tester raised taxes on more than 16,000 small businesses. After nearly a decade in Helena, Tester also voted to tax soda pop, livestock, pickup trucks, homes ... even water."
Matt McKenna, a Tester spokesman, countered that Tester voted to eliminate taxes on thousands of small businesses, adding that Burns has also voted to increase taxes.
The Burns ad accuses Tester of supporting "a $2,000 tax increase on families." The Burns campaign said that claim is based on Tester's comments that he opposes extending President Bush's tax cuts. The Burns campaign, using material from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said the tax-cut repeal would result in a family of four with an income of $65,000-the midpoint of income for all families nationally-seeing its federal income tax bill rise by more than $2,000 in one year. The campaign had no Montana-specific figures available.
Two Republican legislators from Clancy followed up with a press conference charging that Tester is not telling the whole story when he says he voted for a 2005 law to eliminate property taxes on business equipment for 13,000 businesses.
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