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August 25, 2004
The circus comes to Nashville.
Radio host Steve Gill criticized by his own allies for “unfair”
attack on Tax Commission
On Thursday, August 19, ultra-right radio host Steve Gill testified
(or perhaps "performed") before the Tax Structure Study Commission.
But rather than presenting facts and making his case, Gill opted instead to level
wild accusations at the Commission, drawing criticism from across the police
spectrum, including his own allies.
As the former director of the Tenn. Institute on Public Policy
(later renamed the Tenn. Family Institute), Michael Gilstrap was one of the
leading opponents of the income tax even before radio host Steve Gill got into
the fray. But after Gill’s accusations in front of the Commission last
week, even Gilstrap recognized the radio host’s theatrics, calling Gill’s
accusations of the Commission “unfair.”
Gilstrap defended the work of the Commission on Teddy
Bart’s Round Table, “Nelson Andrews as Chairman is a very respected
and is unquestionably an honest broker.” Further adding credibility to
the Commission, Gilstrap states, “[The Commissioners] have listened to...
almost all the various solutions to the problem. They haven’t come across
as just pro-income tax. It is unfair what Steve says about them... [Gill’s
accusation] that they are just a stooge for those who want to pass an income
tax. That is simply not the case.”
It’s clear, even to his own friends, that Steve Gill’s
attack of the Commission is way out of line. Gill knows, just like TFT does,
that just about every tax commission that has ever studied this issue has come
to the same conclusion, Tennessee needs tax reform. That’s because the
facts speak for themselves. Perhaps that's why Gill chose to avoid the facts,
resorting instead to a Springer-like circus performance of smear tactics and
accusations.
 Even
the Tennessean picked up on Gill’s unjustified behavior in their editorial
Tuesday, When
shouting stops, address tax structure, writing, “Gill unintentionally
proved why no one of his stripe was placed on the commission. He picks a fight,
veers the discussion off topic, and debate on the central issue of where Tennessee
gets revenues in the future is lost.” The Tennessean editorial concluded,
“The commission was created to escape from the noise of the horn-honkers.
Its members should look at the squabble last week as a bleep in the big picture
and move on to more measured deliberation.”
The Commission has been gathering testimony for two years
now with over 24 meetings held to listen to experts and a wide variety
of perspectives. They are now in their final phase as they begin looking
at solutions. One of the plans being looked at by the Commission will
lower taxes for upwards of 80% of Tennesseans by repealing the food tax,
lowering the sales tax to a uniform rate of 5.75%, and enacting a progressive
income tax that would replace the Hall Income Tax along with other changes.
In addition to lowering taxes for most Tennesseans, this
plan will make Tennessee businesses and retailers more competitive. With
the nation’s highest sales tax, Tennessee loses business by the
day. Even Gilstrap understands that we’re going to have to do something
and raising the sales tax is not an option. On the same Teddy Bart Round
Table program, Gilstrap stated, “Once people begin to face some
of the issues, He [Bredesen] is going to have to sell something... I don’t
see how we can do another sales tax, but something has got to happen.”
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