Kamala Harris’s running mate Tim Walz should take a leaf out of Republican governors like Jim Justice’s book. As governor, Walz consistently raised taxes and spent record amounts. His track record is in stark contrast to that of Governor Jim Justice, who has proven to be an exemplary tax-cutting ally and taxpayer ally.
When Tim Walz first became governor in 2019, he tried to push through a budget that would have raised gasoline taxes by 20% and increased government spending by billions.
In 2023, Tim Walz squandered Minnesota’s $18 billion budget surplus. To compensate, he introduced a series of new taxes, including the payroll tax and the retail sales tax, as well as increases to existing taxes, such as the vehicle sales tax and the state corporate income tax.
And as if things were worse, the governor of the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” oversaw the increase in registration fees for watercraft, including non-motorized boats such as canoes and kayaks.
All of this comes at a high price. For every six households gaining income over $200,000, Minnesota loses about ten households earning over $200,000. Minnesota also ranks 44th in the Tax Foundation’s corporate tax climate index.
Tim Walz’s career as a notorious tax raiser also extends to his time in the House of Representatives.
As a congressman, Tim Walz played a key role in the passage of the Emissions Trading Act by House Democrats in 2009. The aim was to arbitrarily set the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that companies were allowed to produce.
If the bill had not failed in the Senate, it would have resulted in a total tax increase of $646 billion in its first ten years of existence.
Unlike Tim Walz, Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia has consistently sided with taxpayers by reducing the tax burden on his constituents.
Last month, Justice announced a 4% income tax cut after state revenues exceeded estimates by $826.6 million. Likewise, Justice passed a 21% income tax cut in 2023 when the state posted a tax surplus of $1.308 billion, putting West Virginia’s income tax on track to zero.
As a signatory to a pledge of allegiance as governor and now as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Jim Justice continues to demonstrate his desire to put money back into taxpayers’ pockets.
