The Pro-Beverage-Lobby-Anti-Jobs Caucus
On February 26, the Kentucky House passed HB 347, a bill that creates a new sales tax on IT services. It passed 69-25, with 25 Republicans against and 9 Republicans and 60 Democrats in favor.
There is really no debating that this is a horrible bill that will send jobs out of Kentucky. Many IT firms have relocated to Northern Kentucky from Cincinnati because of the favorable tax treatment.
The issue we'd like to bring your attention to, are the legislators who bravely voted against hiking taxes on booze and smokes, but apparently have no problem imposing this new tax; one that is not on discretionary activity and will directly cost the new economy-type jobs that we're trying to attract to Kentucky. We can't really guess the motivation for this divide, except that one issue (beer) has an large lobby that organized beer trucks to drive around the Capitol and dumped bourbon on the Capitol lawn, and the other (IT businesses) is just a collection of small businesses entrepreneurs that did not put on a show.
Anyway, enough hypothesizing, here are those that can draw a distinction between these two taxes:
Rep. Linda Belcher (D-Bullitt, new)
Rep. Scott Brinkman (R-Jefferson, 2008 Rank #33)
Rep. Dwight Butler (R-Breckinridge, #36)
Rep. Ron Crimm (R-Jefferson, #31)
Rep. Marie Rader (R-Jackson, #20)
Rep. Steven Rudy (R-Ballard, #23)
Rep. Arnold Simpson (D-Kenton, #59)
Rep. Kevin Sinnette (D-Boyd, new)
Rep. Ancel Smith (D-Knott, #58)
Rep. Fitz Steele (D-Perry, new)
Rep. Tommy Turner (R-Pulaski, #26)
We wonder what their constituents would think if they learned that their representatives are willing to stand against taxes on smokes but not against taxes on jobs? We may find out...
