Perry Campaign Press Release - Statement From Ray Sullivan, Communications Director

"Gov. Perry's plan takes a wrecking ball to the Washington Establishment, with an aggressive, pro-growth flat tax and a balanced budget by 2020. Mitt Romney offers more of the same while Gov. Perry offers a complete overhaul of how business is done in Washington. Gov. Romney fails to realize that deficits are the result of too much spending, not a lack of revenue.

"Mitt Romney's Washington Establishment approach to the economy and the federal budget is based on the false belief that Americans simply want a reshuffling of the status quo. Gov. Romney's plan forces Americans to stay in the current progressive tax system, and he refuses to say when his plan would produce a balanced budget.

"The tinkering-around-the-edges nature of Gov. Romney's 59-point plan can be summed up by the fact his first priority is to 'maintain current tax rates on personal income' and his last priority is to 'pursue a Balanced Budget Amendment,' almost as an afterthought.

"Voters should judge his intentions based on his history. Gov. Romney raised taxes by 20 percent on businesses in Massachusetts, a state that ranked 47th in job creation during his tenure.

"The differences between Gov. Romney and Gov. Perry are stark. Gov. Perry cuts federal taxes and spending, institutes a 20 percent flat tax, and closes corporate tax loopholes. Gov. Romney rejected President Reagan's supply-side, pro-growth policies and now favors marginal changes that keep government bigger and the tax burden larger."

As Massachusetts governor, Gov. Romney raised taxes by $370 million per year — a 20 percent tax hike from when he took office. [1]

Source:

[1] "Seeking Taxes, Romney Went After Business," New York Times, 10/1/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/us/politics/romneys-strategies-as-gove...