John Ley’s Oct. 30 letter, “Pass I-1366 for two-thirds provision,” was interesting but less than factual. He claims that taxes have been raised on three occasions (this year, $17.5 billion; in 2010, $6.7 billion; and in 2005, $9 billion) totaling $33.2 billion; the total state budget this biennium is $32.5 billion. I know there is a separate transportation budget where some of these taxes go, but it just shows you how anyone can put up some numbers with no context to prove some point. I am not a math major but raising taxes $33.2 billion to enact a budget of $32.5 billion would suggest that we have nearly a billion-dollar surplus just on the new taxes.
Better yet, to his last point of returning tax power back to the people who pay them, our Constitution has a provision for that; it is called elections. If you don’t like how taxes are raised, vote in someone else.
