In today’s Wall Street Journal, National Governors Association (NGA) executive director Dan Crippen contemptuously tarred as “tax havens” the five U.S. states that choose not to levy a sales tax upon their citizens. One of the five states with no sales tax is none other than Delaware, the state run by the current NGA chairman, Governor Jack Markell (D).

“The genius of America is to have the fifty states compete to provide the best government at the lowest cost,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “The NGA is fighting to establish a cartel in order to avoid competition which would lead to better, less expensive government.”

In their Wall Street Journal opinion piece, the NGA denied the Marketplace Fairness Act was being rammed through the Senate and falsely claimed online sales tax opponents were merely “attempting to preserve the sales-tax havens of a few states.” In so doing, the NGA revealed its scorn toward low-tax states and especially the five states with no sales tax.  Four of the five are governed by Democrats, and all five are members of the NGA:

Delaware – Gov. Jack Markell (D)

Montana – Gov. Steve Bullock (D)

New Hampshire – Gov. Maggie Hassan (D)

Oregon – Gov. John Kitzhaber (D)

Alaska – Gov. Sean Parnell (R)

So the NGA accepts “tax havens” as members.  And the NGA has no problem publicly defaming states whose taxpayers foot the bill for its 89-person staff, who spend their days pushing ever-higher taxes.

“The NGA staff does not represent the fifty states. Every time, the NGA staff sides with the high tax states against the low-tax states,” said Norquist.

Internet sales tax legislation pushed by the NGA passed cloture Thursday in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 63-30. This most recent vote to tax e-commerce represents a significant drop in Senate support for the measure in just 24 hours. On Wednesday, the vote was 75-22.

Taxpayers can visit www.TaxesWithoutBorders.com to encourage their Congressman and Senators to vote against the Marketplace Fairness Act.

View PDF here.

Posted by John Kartch on Friday, April 26, 2013 10:53 AM EDT

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