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Out-of-Touch Teachout Insists $1,700 Energy ‘Fee’ is Not a Tax POUGHKEEPSIE, NY … October 5, 2016 – Tuesday’s Poughkeepsie Journal Editorial Board meeting showed a clear contrast between the two candidates for the 19th Congressional District, with John Faso offering up comprehensive ways to improve the Upstate economy and streamline government. His opponent Zephyr Teachout meanwhile was caught flat-footed on many issues, including her position on a national energy tax that would place a tax on electricity, home heating oil, propane, gas, and other energy sources, the equivalent of a $1,700 tax hike for the average family, according to the US Department of Treasury. During the debate, Teachout insisted she supported a “fee and dividend” plan, which even her liberal allies like Climate Lobby specifically refer to as a “direct tax or direct carbon tax.” “In typical Washington-speak, Professor Teachout insists that a $1,700 energy ‘fee’ is not a tax. Yet even liberal groups call her ‘fee’ proposal what it truly is – a ‘direct carbon tax.’ Having lived here over three decades and raised a family in Upstate New York, I know the families up here aren’t dumb, and won’t be fooled by a politician telling them a ‘fee’ is not a tax,” said Faso. “She can call it what she wants, but she should be honest with Dutchess County families and others around our district who already pay some of the highest energy prices in the country. It’s clear Professor Teachout would raise their costs more every time they flipped a light switch, or filled up their gas tanks because she supports a national energy tax.” Throughout the debate, Faso often pointed to Professor Teachout’s liberal policy prescriptions and highlighted that she does not know the district or issues that are important to voters, in part, because she only moved here and registered to vote her earlier this year. One of these is Teachout’s stated opposition to the property tax cap. “Property taxes are stifling our economy, hurting our families and forcing too many out of New York. This state forces so much of its spending down onto local property taxpayers. This has to stop. John Faso knows this and has proposed a real solution. His opponent displayed a lack of understanding and no real solution. Anyone who’s paid property taxes for any length of time knows that meaningful relief is necessary to lower our cost of living and improve our quality of life,” said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. Faso, meanwhile, has lived in the district for more than 33 years. He has worked and raised his family here and represented it as minority leader in the Assembly. He also referenced his time in the Assembly, where he worked with both sides of the political aisle and pushed proposals that led to real balanced budgets – including the first reduction in state spending in decades while closing a $5 billion deficit. He championed legislation that made a difference for tens of thousands of families such as the STAR program and education and real property tax reform. A former board member of the Rockefeller Institute of Government, Faso also served for three years as a member of the Control Board that worked to fix the financial and managerial issues of the City of Buffalo and its school system. Faso is running on the Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform lines in November’s general election. Mr. Faso and his wife, Mary Frances, a registered nurse, are the proud parents of two children. They have lived in Kinderhook, New York, for more than three decades. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) is former Republican leader of the state Assembly and candidate for Congress in the 19th Congressional district. To learn more about Faso, visit johnfaso.com. ### |