State Rep. Barry “Boss” Doss (R-Leoma) praised 99.7 FM WWTN radio host Ralph Bristol on the floor of the House on Wednesday during the debate over The IMPROVE Act “Tax Cut Act of 2017” for calling the gas tax increase bill “a tax cut.”
On Wednesday morning, during a live interview with Governor Haslam (who unveiled the bill in January), Bristol called the expected vote in the House on the gas tax increase proposal “a momentous day in Tennessee.”
Doss also quoted President John F. Kennedy’s famous 1961 inaugural challenge to the country as a reason to vote for The IMPROVE Act “Tax Cut Act of 2017”: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
It was not immediately clear to the members of the gallery exactly how voting to increase the gas tax in Tennessee by 6 cents per gallon was the kind of patriotic sacrifice President Kennedy had in mind when he made that statement more than half a century ago.
State Rep. Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station) took exception to the comparison.
Sexton questioned the connection between the reduction in Frachise and Excise Taxes for corporations to road construction.
Doss responded that the “cut” is just like what Kennedy, Reagan, and now President Trump have asked for.
Sexton hit back hard.
“I’m here to speak for the people,” he said.
He noted that the Franchise and Excise tax cuts of $113 million are going to just 24 companies, many receiving more than $1 million in tax reductions “on the backs of citizens.”
State Rep. Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) said that The IMPROVE Act “Tax Cut Act of 2017” is Washingtonian and that it’s like a Christmas tree with ornaments all over it.
The debate between supporters and opponents of the gas tax increase continues on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives, with a vote expected some time today.
Most Capitol Hill insiders currently consider it too close to call.
