Another reason not to trust Rand Paul

Today The DSCC issued this press release:

In a stunning backtrack, Rand Paul is now saying he never called for a nationwide 23% sales tax, only one day after he did advocate for a 23% sales tax. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that Paul said “I would vote for the FairTax to get rid of the Sixteenth Amendment.” However, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported that yesterday Paul said in regards to abolishing the 16th Amendment and putting into place the FairTax “I really haven’t been saying anything like that.”

In fact, Paul has advocated for the FairTax on at least five separate occasions in the past (see bullets below), which raises major questions regarding Paul’s trustworthiness, honesty, and integrity.

Paul’s so-called “FairTax,” would replace the income tax with a 23% sales tax on almost everything Kentuckians buy, including groceries, prescription drugs, doctors visits and gasoline. Paul’s reckless tax scheme would even eliminate corporate income taxes and deductions on which middle class Kentuckians rely, like the mortgage deduction.

“Kentuckians are finding out they can’t trust anything that comes out of Rand Paul’s mouth,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “As much as Paul may want to distance himself from his disastrous plan to place a 23% sales tax on nearly everything Kentuckians buy, he’s been advocating for it for years. Kentucky middle-class families can’t afford Paul and his gigantic sales tax hike.”

Rand Paul of Kentucky has spent months walking away from his record and who he really is. A month after saying the Civil Rights Act shouldn’t apply to private business and refusing to say he would have voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act, Paul backtracked on his positions, saying the federal government was right to impose civil rights on private business. Paul committed the same politically expedient move after he defended BP after the oil spill, calling criticism of the company “Un-American.” Under fire for his remarks, Paul went back on his comments, saying government regulations of offshore drilling were not adequate. Paul has also gone into hiding with the media, refusing to conduct interviews and forcing journalists to submit all questions in writing despite “offering detailed answers on just about any topic during his primary campaign.” Paul recently held a fundraiser in Washington DC with the same establishment Republicans he railed against on the campaign trail and has said the drug problem in eastern Kentucky is “not a real pressing issue.”

Paul Preferred A Sales Tax To An Income Tax. In an interview on Kentucky Tonight, Paul stated, “You have to look at the numbers and crunch the numbers. But I like a sales tax better than an income tax.” [Kentucky Tonight, 11/24/08]

Paul Admits The Consensus Is The Fair Tax Would Burden The Poor, But He Supports It Anyway. At a meeting of the Kentucky Federation of College Republicans, Paul said: The fair tax is an idea of going to a national sales tax instead of an income tax. I would always favor a sales tax over an income tax. But here, I'll tell you what I think the problem is, is that it will never pass. Because the general consensus says it's a regressive tax, meaning that poor people will pay a greater share than they do now, and rich people or people from middle to upper income will pay less. But I do like the sales tax better than the income tax.” [Remarks at Western Kentucky University, uploaded 4/08/09]

Paul Favored Eliminating The Income Tax In Favor Of A Sales Tax. In a Paducah Rally in Gazebo, Paul stated, “Would I prefer to pay a sales tax over an income tax? Yes. I probably would at almost every level. If I were even at the lower end of the economic spectrum, I would because I’d want to be able to have the ability to get ahead in life, and I’d get ahead without an income tax. Yes, ultimately.” [Remarks at Paducah Rally, 5/08/09]

Paul Said He Favored Fair Tax, Eliminating IRS. Speaking at an event in McCracken County, KY in April 2010, Paul said he favored the Fair Tax. Paul said: “Where do I stand on the Fair Tax? The fairest tax would be replacing the income tax with a sales tax and getting rid of the IRS and that would be great.” [Remarks in McCracken County, 4/10/10]

Paul Would Support “Anything” That Simplified the Tax Code. In July 2010, on the day Steve Forbes was to hold a $1,000-a-seat fundraiser for Paul, Paul’s campaign manager told CNN that Paul supported a flat tax, something Forbes had long supported. “Benton says that Paul supports fundamental tax reform and would vote for anything that simplified and/or cut the tax burden, including a flat tax,” CNN reported. [CNN, 7/12/10]