Santorum Campaign Press Release - Mitt Romney's "Taxachusetts" Economics Policies

"[T]he Tax Burden Is Heavier For Many Across The Commonwealth. This Is How The Massachusetts That Mitt Romney Left Behind Yesterday Compares With The Massachusetts That He Inherited Four Years Ago."(Scott Helman, "Romney Exits With Pomp, Ambition," The Boston Globe, 1/4/07)

During Romney's Governorship, He Raised Fees By Over $400 Million And Closed"So-Called Corporate Loopholes" By Over $300 Million. "On the presidential campaign trail, Romney brags about a $3 billion budget shortfall he said he closed as governor, without any tax increases. He doesn't mention the more than $400 million in fees he raised instead. He also raised more than $300 million by closing so-called corporate loopholes, a revenue-raising measure the business community calls a tax increase." (Joan Vennochi, Op-Ed, "Mitt's No-Tax Mirage," The Boston Globe, 10/11/07)

Almost Immediately Upon Becoming Governor, Romney Increased Fees By $260 Million And Closed "Tax Loopholes" To Fill Government Coffers With Another $255 Million. "[I]n his first year in office, the state increased hundreds of fees, making it more expensive to get a driver's license, marry, or buy a house. Those changes, which he defends as limited in scope and long overdue, brought in an additional $260 million. The new governor also collected an additional $255 million from businesses by closing what he called tax loopholes." (Scott S. Greenberger, "Romney Often Casts Himself As Budget Hero," The Boston Globe, 10/24/05)

Massachusetts' Revenue Commissioner Admitted Romney Told Him To Scour The Tax Code For Provisions To Close In Order To Bring In More Money. "Revenue Commissioner Alan LeBovidge said yesterday that Romney has asked him to scour the tax code in search of provisions that can be tightened to bring in moremoney, but he argued that it isn't accurate to refer to the proposed changes as tax increases." (Scott S. Greenberger, "Governor's Fiscal Plan Targets Tax 'Loopholes,'" The Boston Globe, 3/4/04)

In His First Two Years As Governor, Romney Collected Almost $350 Million More In Corporate Taxes, And He Then Proposed Another $170 Million. "[Romney] collected an additional $345 million from businesses during his first two years in office by closing what he called loopholes in the corporate tax code. This year, the governor initially proposed changes worth an additional $170 million, but he halved that figure in March in response to an uproar from businesses and their lobbying groups." (Scott S. Greenberger, "Romney Often Casts Himself As Budget Hero," The Boston Globe, 10/24/05)

Flashback 2004: "The Bill The Joint Committee On Taxation Considered Yesterday - 'An Act To Clarify Certain Tax Provisions And Improve Various Activities Of The Department Of Revenue' - Includes More Than Two-Dozen Measures Designed To Bring In More Money."(Scott S. Greenberger, "Governor's Fiscal Plan Targets Tax 'Loopholes,'" The Boston Globe, 3/4/04)

"[T]ax Specialists And Other Observers Have Argued That Romney Effectively Raised Taxes By Boosting The Fees And Eking More Money Out Of Corporations."(Scott Helman, "Romney Exits With Pomp, Ambition," The Boston Globe, 1/4/07)

Utilizing The Language Of The Progressive Left, Revenue Commissioner Alan LeBovidge Said He Wanted Companies To Pay "Their Fair Share" And Establish "Equity." "LeBovidge defended the changes as a way to crack down on companies that 'push the envelope.' ...  'I view it as people paying their fair share,' LeBovidge said. 'It's all about equity.'" (Scott S. Greenberger, "Governor's Fiscal Plan Targets Tax 'Loopholes,'" The Boston Globe, 3/4/04)