State and local government should be proactive. Our elected officials should be transparent instead of constantly keeping We, The People guessing as to what they are going to do next.
In the past few weeks, Gov. Mike Braun has made statements suggesting that he wasn’t certain whether he would renew the state’s gasoline sales tax “holiday” or not. When he did announce his intention to renew it, he also announced that he would temporarily suspend the state’s gasoline excise tax, an action he should have taken when he originally suspended the gasoline sales tax in April.
He also stated that the Indiana General Assembly would need to pass legislation to extend either suspension of state gasoline tax past this month. Unfortunately, he did not indicate whether or not he would call the General Assembly into special session to consider and pass this legislation.
Braun’s track record over the past few months with the handling of gasoline taxes appears both reactive and indecisive. This is not the leadership that Hoosier taxpayers need. A governor should understand the economic impact of world events, including when and how the economic impact will manifest itself in the lives of the state’s citizenry. A governor should be taking actions that will reassure Hoosiers that the necessary steps have already been determined and initiated to mitigate risks.
Unfortunately, our elected officials in Indiana love to keep us guessing. This is probably a byproduct of the fact that our elected officials can’t do anything without the approval of the real decisionmakers in government, which are the special interests and corporations that really dictate policy in Indiana.
Hoosiers need government that is transparent and proactive, mitigating risk instead of remediating issues after they become a burden to Hoosier taxpayers. The economic impact of inflationary gasoline prices is not a pandemic that no one saw coming. This situation was predictable before March 1. The fact that our Governor is still spoon-feeding Hoosiers a month-by-month remediation strategy is both insulting and unacceptable.
Donald Rainwater, a Libertarian, is a two-time candidate for Indiana governor. He lives in Ninevah.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mike Braun is keeping us guessing on gas taxes | Letter
Reporting by Donald Rainwater, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
