I wanted to let you know about a couple of big wins we had during the 2022 legislative session now that it is almost over.
At the start of the session, we published the Mississippi Freedom Agenda 2022. This was a list of the specific outcomes we were working to achieve.
We had two big wins – combating Critical Race theory and Income Tax reduction.
Combat Critical Race theory: This was the number one goal – and we achieved it. Senate Bill 2113, which we authored, is now law. This is a big win for those who do not want America to be divided by extremist ideology.
Abolish state income tax: This was at the top of our ‘to do’ list. After a lot of wrangling in the legislature, a deal has been done to give Mississippi taxpayers back $520 million of their money.
We are very pleased about this and delighted to have helped make it happen. But conservatives should not exaggerate what this tax cut actually does. It does not eliminate the state income tax. It puts us on a path that might lead to eventual elimination.
With our lawmakers still sitting on a mountain of money that they won’t give back to the taxpayer, there is still a lot of work to be done to eliminate the income tax.
Thank you for your support. We would not have achieved either of these wins without you!
While pleased with these wins, Mississippi is going to need much bolder reform if we are to stop being 50th out of 50 states.
If federal subsidies created economic growth, we would be the richest state in the Union. Rather than relying on handouts, we need to make our state more competitive. This means:
Red tape reduction: Excessive regulation helps explain why Mississippi is not flourishing the way Tennessee, Texas and Florida have done. That is why we have joined forces with the Secretary of State, Michael Watson, to help with his Tackle the Tape efforts to deregulate more systematically.
Education reform: Teachers received a significant pay increase during this legislative session. We are not opposed to paying teachers properly, but we believe that pouring more money into an education system without reform is not going to raise standards.
One final thought. The legislature missed the chance this session to fix the initiative system. Politics is too important to be left to politicians, which is why we need an initiative ballot that allows meaningful change. That means changes to state law, not just the state constitution.
Sadly, a bill that would have allowed this failed. We will be stepping up efforts to ensure that our state has a ballot initiative system that actually works.
Warm Regards,
Douglas Carswell
President & CEO
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