Friday, March 26, 1999
Vehicle tax can make or break political careers
BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Bill Clinton raised taxes on vehicles in Arkansas. It nearly ended his political career.
In 1980, when he was governor, Mr. Clinton lost a re-election bid after raising vehicle taxes. Political observers said it was that issue, more than any other, that doomed him.
“I was governor for 12 years,” Mr. Clinton said in a speech last year. “Nobody likes to fool with licensing their cars, with taxing their cars. It is a pain.”
Mr. Clinton had to sit out a term before mounting a comeback.
While raising the tax is a proven political liability, cutting it can be a campaign boost.
In the Virginia governor's race last year, Republican James Gilmore was elected largely on his promise to drastically reduce the state's motor vehicle tax.
Virginia voters cited taxes as their top issue, and those who made it their priority voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Gilmore.
The Kentucky General Assembly is poised to reduce the tax on motor vehicles when lawmakers meet in January.
Most candidates included cutting the tax in their campaign platforms last year.
Gov. Paul Patton has touted his 1998 executive order that slightly decreased the vehicle tax. However, it will take a General Assembly vote to reduce the tax by about one-third.
“We probably hear about that tax as much as anything else from our constituents,” said House Majority Caucus Chairman Jim Callahan, D-Wilder.
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