Nick Lampson: “I also want to say it does not matter what you call it. If it is inequity, it is inequity. If it is not fair, it is not…”

“I also want to say it does not matter what you call it. If it is inequity, it is inequity. If it is not fair, it is not fair. That is what I want to talk about this morning in this debate. We have lost the issue of a simple matter of equity and fairness. I spent 19 years as a property tax collector in the State of Texas. My whole goal in assessing value to property was to make sure that no property owner, no taxpayer paid an unfair burden in comparison to the others. Our Tax Code unfairly penalizes those who live in States where there is no local or State income tax, which includes my State of Texas. Just as I cannot accept discrimination on how our government treats individuals, I do not want to accept discrimination in how our government taxes our citizens across the board. My colleague from Washington State knows this all too well, and that is why his proposed amendment is so important and timely, because it restores sales tax deductibility for residents of States with no local or State income taxes.”