Hubbard looking out for the rich, not majority of citizens
Your coverage of Rep. Mike Hubbard’s remarks to the Rotary Club quotes him as saying, “We’re not opposed to removing the sales tax on food, but we are opposed to shifting the burden.”
We do not know if he elaborated on what that burden shift would be, but your readers probably already know that the shift would be away from those in the lower- and middle-income levels carrying the heaviest tax load to the most well off paying a larger share.
When asked if they would support removing state sales tax from groceries and making up the lost revenue by raising taxes on individuals making more than $100,000 and couples making more than $200,000, 65 percent of a representative sample of voters said “ yes.” (Capitol Survey Research Center polling). Although a large majority of Alabamians favors this measure, Rep. Hubbard has worked very hard to see to it that a majority of the Legislature does not.
In other words, Hubbard is unwilling to give the majority of citizens a break from taxes on the necessities of life because he’s looking out for the rich.
Ruth Gynther
Auburn
Who really carries the tax burden in Alabama?
Your paper reported that Mike Hubbard, in speaking about taking the state tax (4 percent) off groceries, is opposed to “shifting the burden.”
Where is the burden now? Families in the lowest 20 percent of income are now paying 11 percent of their income in local and state taxes while the top 20 percent in income pay 5 percent or less. The burden needs to be shifted. The top 20 percent are not paying their fair share while the lower income folks are being taxed into poverty. Some very reasonable proposals have been offered to alleviate this problem. Of course, the high-income folks oppose any such ideas. When will some folks support fairness?
Marilyn Garrett
Opelika
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