The Top 5 Tax & Spenders in the Alabama Legislature

1. Rep. Joe Hubbard:

What makes Joe Hubbard the top “tax & spender” in the legislature? He strategically chooses the tax hikes he thinks might have the best chance of passing, then tenaciously fights for them as if his legislative life depends on them.

There’s no way an income tax hike could ever make it through the legislature. There’s no chance a statewide sales tax hike could make it through the legislature. But Hubbard believes he can rally enough public support to pass a cigarette tax (HB9 in 2012), or an additional income tax on companies who do business in Alabama but aren’t “based” here (HB373 in 2011).

Those are the types of tax hikes Hubbard dreams up.

Hubbard tried twice in 2012 to raise taxes and fees on cigarettes. With HB9, he tried to increase taxes on cigarettes, and with HB 712, he tried to also tack on a $1 fee for every pack of cigarettes. “Sin taxes” are some of the lamest and most unimaginative ways to grow government — but they also happen to be some of the most effective.

In an environment where tax hikes are basically impossible, the craftiest “tax & spenders” turn to the tactics outlined above to keep the gravy train rolling. Fortunately for us, Hubbard’s efforts continue to be thwarted by the conservative Republican majority.

2. Sen. Quinton Ross

Senator Ross has one of the legislature’s longest track records of working to increase government spending.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management is already a burden on small businesses, but in 2005 Senator Ross thought it was time to expand the state government’s capacity to regulate the environment, so he introduced SB335. This bill would have established the “Division of Environmental Justice and Health,” a whole new government entity charged with monitoring the environment… another giant government agency in need of giant government spending to prop it up.

In 2007 Senator Ross sponsored SB426 which would have increased taxpayer funded benefits for some government employees, and SB424 which would have increased the expense allowance for the Montgomery County Commission. More government spending.

Then last year, Senator Ross sponsored SB215 which would have reestablished the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP). DROP was allowing the heads of the AEA and other individuals to pile up hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions in some cases, in retirement cash that would be paid out by the taxpayer funded State Retirement System. Even more government spending.

These bills are just snapshots of the larger body or work Sen. Ross has created over the years while fighting tooth and nail to spend taxpayers’ money as fast, and in as big of chunks, as he can.

3. Rep. Craig Ford:

Craig Ford says the darndest things.

He also tries to pass the darndest tax hikes — and a lot of them. Ford has sponsored no less than 10 bills since 2006 that increased, or tried to increase, taxes and/or fees on the people of Alabama. He has introduced bills that would raise taxes or fees on credit transactions, boats, tourism, property, higher education, hunting and countless other businesses and sectors of our economy.

Ford wants to be Governor so bad he can’t stand it. But he’ll have a tough time pulling that off with the tax & spend record outlined above.

4. Rep. John Rogers

Even though it’s next to impossible at this point to get a statewide tax hike passed, some legislators still look for ways to raise taxes through “local legislation” that only affects their county. Rogers was in the news recently for his proposal to reinstate the Jefferson County occupational tax. “We are proposing a reinstatement of the 0.5% occupational tax that will apply to everyone who works in the county,” Rogers told AL.com.

The other bills we found that were attempts at tax raises were also local legislation. Jefferson County has had it’s fair share of issues, many of which weren’t the creation of the legislature. But history has proven that taxing your way out of a hole doesn’t work. Rogers hasn’t yet figured that out.

5. Sen. Roger Bedford

Sen. Bedford has a particular set of skills. He knows the Senate rules better than anyone, and uses them to his advantage constantly. To put it bluntly, he’s just plain better at “the game” than pretty much anyone else in the Senate. Unfortunately he has been known to use his skills to attempt to raise taxes and spending.

Alabama allows a deduction for your total federal tax liability from your federal return minus any federal tax credits you claimed. In 2006, Senator Bedford tried to pass a bill (SB354) that would no longer allow Alabama state taxpayers to deduct their federal income taxes.

He’s also introduced a bevy of local bills (SBSB498 and SB500 in 2007, among many others) imposing and extending fees on the unsuspecting people of the counties he represents.