Just about any time policy makers try to have a frank and honest conversation about taxes in Alabama, the discussion quickly devolves into an emotional recitation of partisan talking points and half-baked rhetoric.
Shrewd politicians love euphemisms, such as "revenue," because discussing "taxes" has become akin to stubbing your big toe in church while cussing at the top of your lungs in front of your mama.
Of course, political right wing ideology posits taxes as the lynchpin of a nefarious liberal plot to ensnare the public into eternal dependency on wasteful government programs. Conversely, the far left wing tends to view entrepreneurialism as inherently exploitative and to believe that corporations are universally opposed to paying any taxes whatsoever.
Taxation has become the Iron Bowl of political debates wherein people have been fooled into thinking that only one side can, and must, win. Yet, this approach is the primary reason that Alabama is doomed to perpetual cycles of budget proration and continual underfunding of basic public services. Politically, the word "tax" has become either an evil pejorative curse or a miracle cure-all for every societal ill.
Like most things in life, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. In Alabama, our tax code is regressive by design and demonstrably broken. Also, an overwhelming amount of revenues are earmarked, which means it's next to impossible to shift money to where it's most needed. This lack of financial flexibility and an over reliance on state personal income tax leads to the ongoing problem of proration. This is also why many government employees can go years without even a cost-of-living adjustment to their salaries.
Property taxes and land use taxes are ridiculously low and need to be adjusted to ensure that corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share. Our state income tax code squeezes revenue from the poorest among us, but allows highly profitable companies with a Delaware mailbox to avoid paying tax altogether.
The rich get richer while the middle-class, the poor and small Alabama-based business owners get stuck paying most of the bill for public services.
Instead of proposing sensible tax reform, Gov. Bentley has advocated European-style austerity and ensured that most government agencies remain understaffed and underfunded. In fact, Bentley wants to keep giving companies our tax dollars hoping they'll come to Alabama in spite of a tepid economy, crumbling infrastructure and underfunded public education.
When it comes to talking about taxes, Gov. Bentley acts like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! There's a lot of dodging and weaving going on, but Bentley seems to think that rhetoric and activity somehow equals accomplishment. He sticks to a populist conservative spin that vilifies taxes while class sizes get bigger and courthouse lines get longer. Sadly, he seems to be just fine with raising fees on every public service imaginable, which is another regressive scheme that negatively affects the middle-class and poor.
The big newsflash is that Alabama has a serious revenue problem that could be easily solved by instituting progressive tax reforms. This would keep taxes low for the poor and middle-class, but dissolve the loop-holes that allow the wealthy and big business to evade paying their fair share of state taxes.
Reading our state budget is about as exciting as watching paint dry, but voters should take the time to understand why Alabama remains a "poor" state. The truth is that Alabama is not poor and that sensible tax reform would set the stage for renewed prosperity throughout the state.
Politicos can spin this conversation into "class warfare" if they choose, but it's really about fixing our bridges and making sure our kids have current textbooks.
Clete Wetli is head of the Madison County Democratic Party, and volunteer community blogger for AL.com.