Issue Position: Taxes

Issue Position

The Land of Enchantment is not just a slogan. Our climate, our vistas, and our people are the most welcoming in the nation. We live in a land of beauty and untapped potential. The resources of our community are limitless for growth in comparison with other parts of the country. We have the space to build, the population to support initial hire, and the desire and tradition of a hard-work ethic to entice business to come to New Mexico. Why then aren't businesses flocking to New Mexico to work within our borders?

While taxes are the provisional finances of government operations and community infrastructure, they should not be holding us back. We need economic growth to continue to keep our small businesses in business, to give our kids a reason to stay continuing our heritage, and to compete with other states to bring industry here. New Mexico's tax code is overly-complicated and particularly burdensome to small businesses. I am committed to reforming the tax code to make sure our homegrown businesses can compete in the global economy. Wise use of tax dollars will enable our economy to grow to keep our kids here and bring industry into our community.

One industry that can and does support our tax liability is the energy industry. We are on the forefront of renewable energy sources with the solar farm in Los Lunas. This is a beginning of what we are capable of contributing to economic development. The oil and gas industry in New Mexico contributes up to a third of the revenue the state receives allowing us to keep taxes lower than they could otherwise be, but we need to be good stewards of these industries. If we fail to do all we can to continue bring our taxes under control and encouraging small business and industry, we will not be competitive in the global market place. I support economic growth for our community, jobs for our future generations, and giving us a competitive edge that matches our state's natural beauty.

Source