INDIANAPOLIS (AP)
— Gov. Mike Pence is telling his campaign donors he plans on "cutting
taxes even further" during the upcoming legislative session in which
lawmakers will craft Indiana's next two-year budget.
Pence said in a
recent email message seeking $50,000 by year's end from his campaign
donors that additional tax cuts and "holding the line on spending" are
needed to maintain Indiana's economic momentum, The Times of Munster
reported.
The Republican
governor hasn't announced any tax cut proposals for the General Assembly
to consider when lawmakers reconvene Jan. 6 at the Statehouse.
Pence told
reporters Thursday the tax cuts he was referring to in his email are
previously enacted reductions in the individual and corporate income tax
rates set to take effect in coming years.
But Pence also
said he's willing to consider additional, new tax cuts if they help
businesses create jobs.
"While I don't
anticipate a call for broad-based tax relief in this session, we certainly
are entertaining and are open to some specific, targeted proposals that
will keep our economy moving in the right direction," he said.
House Speaker
Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said last month that it's "time to take a
breath on significant tax reform" after pushing through 14 tax cuts over
the past 15 years.
Pence ran into
opposition from local government leaders during the last session when he
proposed phasing out Indiana's business personal property tax, an annual
assessment on business equipment that contributes more than $1 billion to
schools and local governments.
The governor said
he expects, even after accounting for revenue reductions due to tax cuts,
that Indiana will have additional funds next session to spend on
education.