Gillespie unveils a bold and serious approach to tax cuts

First the state income tax proposal is a completely back loaded “five year” phased in proposal that projects these savings in the outer final years. Much like most big government federal programs and/or budget policies delivering “little to nothing” upfront to you the tax payer day one but a lot of promises of down the road savings under what will likely be potentially a different elected Virginia General Assembly and Senate composition (perhaps not so friendly to delivering the goods in year five) and a single term lame duck Governor.

Our US Congressional establishment Republican elected officials love to get behind these type of proposals as they completely understand the likelihood of never having to deliver the goods when the outer years roll around and supposed future circumstances pop up calling for new spending requirements (and the voter base’s only recall is of vague past commitments). You end up from the political viewpoint with the perennial no harm, no foul, non action script. I like to call these type of tax plans the “Ryan” specials as he has made these spreadsheet specialized political marketing tools his stock and trade for over a decade having managed to deliver NOTHING to date.

As for the rest of the proposal it’s an assumption laden, upon assumption laden modeling exercise that may or may not deliver anything let alone what it is proposing. It’s OK policy baseline stuff but a long, long way from any delivered goods let alone legislative ready material. In other words a campaign re-election marketing document to garner votes with down the road maybes created and packaged by paid consultancy for big bucks. I guess you could say at least someone (the beltway consultants) are getting some immediate payout from it.

OK, just sour grapes and unfair postulating by a non Gillespie supporter you say. Here is a freely offered and public statement that will convince me that retread Ed is truly the real goods and swing my vote to him. Mr. Gillespie take your tax plan and its pounds and pounds of consulting generated assumptions and modeling and toss it out for one simple written and campaign stated commitment and that is “you will take your back loaded state in come tax boondoggle and REVERSE the impacts to totally and completely front load its cash saving benefits to the Virginia taxpayers immediately not five years down the road”. I feel very comfortable that my non Gillespie vote is quite safe as this is nothing more then tons and tons of campaign marketing smoke and Ed’s retread(s) will NEVER hit the road by actually delivering any meaningful immediate relief to anyone. Prove me wrong Ed.

So what goodies does Ed have in his Santa sack for voters who aren’t business people? Ten percent less taxes on crap RoVa wages don’t add up to much.

Ed Gillespie has turned out to be a very formidable candidate. I like his common sense approach to solving problems and most of all, he has stayed away from name calling and gutter politics. President Trump is blowing up the “establishment” so I am not really too concerned any more with his long standing ties with “establishment” politicians. And he and his wife seem like really nice people.