ICYMI: Bob Robb blows whistle on Wil Cardon's Dishonesty

Good morning –

Arizona Republic columnist Bob Robb has called foul on Wil Cardon’s dishonest distortion of Jeff’s Flake’s solid conservative record on taxes. In a scathing, fact-checking Sunday column, Robb wrote:

“…Cardon’s attacks on Flake on taxes are dishonest. In fact, they are so dishonest they raise a serious character question about Cardon.

"According to Cardon, Flake supported an energy tax that would cost Arizona families $1,000 a year. And he supported a 23 percent federal sales tax.

“Flake did propose a carbon tax. But all the proceeds of the carbon tax would be offset by a reduction in payroll taxes. The proposal would have been revenue neutral and resulted in a tax code that was more growth-oriented.

"This alternative to the cap-and-trade proposal of the Obama administration was developed by economists at the conservative American Enterprise Institute and promoted by, among other more luminary figures, yours truly.

"Flake has also supported the Fair Tax, which would establish a national sales tax. But it would also abolish all income, payroll and estate taxes. Again, the end result would be revenue neutral and an overall tax code that is considerably more growth-oriented.

“The cost of goods and services wouldn’t go up by 23 percent, as Cardon misleadingly implies. Current prices already reflect the imbedded cost of income and payroll taxes. The impact on price levels would be marginal; the impact on savings and investment substantial.

“Now, there are certainly intellectually honest and conservative cases to be made against a revenue-neutral carbon tax and the Fair Tax. But Cardon has not chosen to make an intellectually honest case. Instead, he is trying to create the false impression that Flake has supported higher taxes.

“Flake is one of the most consistent and influential fiscal hawks in the country. If he had his way, the federal government would be considerably smaller and the tax code considerably more growth friendly.

“Now, political campaigns routinely employ hyperbole and distortion. But there’s a line where distortion becomes not just unfair but dishonest. Cardon has crossed it.”

Read his entire column here:

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/RobertRobb/167587