NEW VIDEO: For Indiana, Change is Still Working

The 2011 legislative session will have an incredible long-term impact on Hoosiers.  Here is a quick video recap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1IEhGUrkuQ

Despite a five week Democrat walkout, Governor Daniels was still able to pass a vast legislative agenda.  Consider just the following:

  • The education package alone was a historic achievement.  Full funding for kindergarten, the nation’s most expansive voucher program, more charter schools, and rewarding and protecting our teachers based on effectiveness; these programs will have a dramatic and positive impact of generations of Hoosier children.
  • Add to that yet another gimmick free balanced budget without tax increases (and with reserves built back up), and Indiana remains a national leader in how to manage a budget during tough times.
  • Governor Daniels proposed and delivered an Automatic Taxpayer Refund once reserves get past 10%.  As the economy continues to improve, this will let taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned money, as well as, acting as a brake on the growth of government.
  • Even though Indiana continues to be ranked as a “Top State to do Business” and had another record breaking year in job announcements, the legislature was able to enact a job creating lowering of the corporate tax rate, which will make the state even more attractive to job creating companies in the private sector.

During the elections of 2010 and now the legislative session of 2011, Governor Daniels proved once again that showing courage and vision leads to results.

Posted in Automatic Taxpayer Refund, Education Agenda, Government Efficiency and Transparency, Government spending, Job Creation, Keeping Indiana Moving Forward, Uncategorized No Comments »
Read More »

Fourth Straight Balanced Budget Awaits Final Vote

House Bill 1001, the budget bill, is awaiting final approval from the General Assembly before heading to Governor Daniels’ desk. Here are some of the highlights:

-The Republican majorities in the Indiana House and Senate have crafted a balanced budget, the fourth such budget under the Governor’s leadership. These balanced budgets have ensured that Indiana has remained on stable economic footing, even during a recession that financially rocked other states. 

-The budget bill will leave about $1 billion in reserves at the end of fiscal year 2013 so that the state is prepared to handle an economic downturn, just as it was going into the recent recession.

-The proposed budget also meets the goals of Governor Daniels to balance the budget with no tax increases and no accounting gimmicks. 

-If state reserves reach 10% of operating funds, an Automatic Taxpayer Refund will kick in, which means half of the reserves past 10% will be returned to Indiana taxpayers. This means that the government will return to Hoosiers their hard-earned dollars once the state has collected enough to operate plus a reasonable amount of reserves.

To learn more about this bill, click here. To read about the bill in the Indianapolis Star, click here and in the Evansville Courier & Press, click here.

Posted in Automatic Taxpayer Refund, Government spending, Uncategorized No Comments »
Read More »

RADIO AD: “Won’t You Come Home”

House Democrats have fled the state and abdicated their responsibilities as leaders. They have abandonded their constituents. Hoosiers who wish to Aim Higher implore them to return to the Statehouse to do the job voters elected them to do. 

If you are outraged by their behavior, call them at 1-800-382-9842 and tell them to get back to the Statehouse and do the job they were elected to do.

Hear our new ad here. Won’t You Come Home?

Posted in Automatic Taxpayer Refund, Education Agenda, Government Efficiency and Transparency, Government spending, Job Creation, Keeping Indiana Moving Forward No Comments »
Read More »

RADIO AD: Hoosiers Have Spoken!

Last Fall, Hoosiers spoke.  They wanted a balanced budget, no tax increases and an education system that put the needs of children ahead of the needs of adults.

House Democrats have fled the state and are hiding in an Illinois hotel instead of fulfilling their responsibilites to their constituents. They need to come back! 

If you are outraged at their behavior, call them at 1-800-382-9842 and tell them to come back to the Statehouse and do the job they were elected to to do. 

Hear our latest ad here Hoosiers Have Spoken

Posted in Automatic Taxpayer Refund, Education Agenda, Government Efficiency and Transparency, Government spending, Job Creation No Comments »
Read More »

Governor Daniels Brings Indiana Common Sense to CPAC

Governor Mitch Daniels gave a profound speech at the CPAC conference in Washington DC.  He shared his sound and common sense views on government that we are accustomed to hearing in Indiana with a national audience of conservatives.  He also spoke about the dangers the nation faces if we cannot come together as a people and tackle our financial problems.  The speech has received nearly universal approval for its substance and importance.  You can read it at this link and decide for yourself http://bit.ly/hiZN8T.

Posted in Automatic Taxpayer Refund, Education Agenda, Government spending, Keeping Indiana Moving Forward No Comments »
Read More »

VIDEO Governor Daniels: “It’s the people’s money”

Recently Governor Daniels has made headlines with his Automatic Taxpayer Refund proposal.  You can see him speak about the idea on Fox News by clicking on the video link below.

Basically the concept is that if state revenues exceed what government needs, including a 10% reserve, taxpayers would automatically receive a refund in the form of a tax credit.

The purpose of this is two-fold.  First, there is principle involved. It’s the peoples’ money, and government should not just keep collecting it when it does not need it to fulfill basic obligations.  Second, the more money you give government, the more it will spend, and history suggests that government will waste a fair portion of any “extra” money it has access to.  

The Automatic Taxpayer Refund would essentially be a practical spending cap on government. It will help constrain the growth of government while letting citizens keep more of their own money.  Sounds like a good idea to me! 

Watch Governor Daniels below. 

Posted in Automatic Taxpayer Refund No Comments »
Read More »

Keep Your Money! Support the Automatic Taxpayer Refund!

It only makes sense. Once state government has raised the funds it needs, then it should stop taking taxpayer money.  That is the premise of  Governor Daniels Automatic Taxpayer Refund idea and here are the basics of the proposal.

• At a certain level government has enough resources for its operations and sufficient reserves to weather an economic downturn.  Any excess belongs to and should remain with taxpayers.

• Automatic Taxpayer Refund: all revenue above an agreed level of fiscal sufficiency shall be returned to taxpayers as a refundable income tax credit.

• It is better to leave resources in the hands of Hoosier families and businesses than government.  If government has it, it will be spent.

• Recommendation that the level of fiscal sufficiency should be when reserve balances are 10% of budgeted appropriations.

Pretty simple really.  If this proposal becomes law, not only will taxpayers keep more of their money when times are good, but this program will effectively serve as a check on the growth of government. 

Sound good?  Well, get involved and let your legislators know that you support the ATR.  Some of them think that the more revenues the state collects, the more they get to spend.  It’s not their money, so call them at (317) 232-9856 and tell them you want to keep more of your own money, you support the Governor’s Automatic Taxpayer Refund and you want them to as well.

Posted in Automatic Taxpayer Refund No Comments »
Read More »

Enact Automatic Taxpayer Refund to Protect Taxpayers, Create Jobs and Grow the Economy

In order to protect Hoosier taxpayers, Governor Daniels has proposed the novel idea of enacting a straightforward state government spending cap in the form of an automatic taxpayer refund (ATR). The program would work by setting a point (maybe 10%) above the state budget that would trigger a refund of tax dollars to every taxpayer. Such a measure would ensure that:

  • State government could not tax as it pleases and simply keep the tax money that remains after the state has paid its expenses.
  • Money would be returned to taxpayers when the state collects more tax money than it requires to fund neccessary state programs.

Read this article from the Heartland Institute to learn why this makes sense for taxpayers (http://bit.ly/gKSOWb). State Treasurer Richard Mourdock, has endorsed such a plan, saying, “It’s a positive effort to ensure that the State of Indiana doesn’t build unnecessary surpluses…In the end, Hoosier families are entitled to keep more of their monies rather than adding to the state’s bottom line” (http://bit.ly/dZOspv).

Hoosiers should ask at what point a government should stop collecting from its citizens. Identifying a point of fiscal self-sufficiency for the state will not only create a limit on government but also allow taxpayers to ultimately retain more of their hard-earned money so that they can decide what to spend it on and help grow the private economy, on which everything else prospers. Check out this article to read an explanation of the ATR (http://bit.ly/dMGddZ). Also check out this article which explains the refund concept (http://bit.ly/dUuX26).

Posted in Automatic Taxpayer Refund No Comments »
Read More »
Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More

  • Aiming Higher Mission

    Aiming Higher Inc. is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting innovative and cutting edge public policy solutions. We seek input from and engagement with all those interested in keeping Indiana moving forward.

  • Sign up for our enewsletter

  • Write Letters to the Editor

    Find Publications In Your District

  • Visit our other sites

         

  • RSS