STOP THE REPEAL

 

Now that Gov. Ricketts has signed the property tax relief bill into law, leftist state senators desperately are trying to find 33 senators to sign onto an effort to call a special legislative session.  Their purpose is to repeal the property tax relief law and spend additional tax $$ on welfare benefits for those considered inconvenienced by the COVID-19 pandemic.  These leftist senators appear more concerned for the benefit beggars than for first responders like law officers, firefighters, paramedics, & medical and nursing home personnel who daily risk the health and lives of themselves & their families to fight this pandemic & help its victims.  Lobby your senator to NOT support a special session.  Email netaxpayers@gmail.com for senator contact information.

LIBERALS NEVER GIVE UP

 Relieved at having pushed through a property tax bill offering us a bit of tax relief, taxpayers now must contend with liberal senators & their allies who want a special legislative session. Its purpose? To repeal the tax relief bill and override gubernatorial vetoes of the snake braids bill and early release for convicts bill. The libs also want to spend more of our tax $$ on welfare benefits for those supposedly inconvenienced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact your state senator TODAY to urge the Governor to NOT call a special session. Email netaxpayers@gmail.com for state senator contact information.

PATHETIC TEACHERS UNION

 

Some of the loudest opponents of the LB 1107 property tax relief bill are union teachers in the Omaha Public School District.  Sounding just as loud is the tidal wave noise we hear from OPS parents opting out their children into neighboring school districts.  The main reasons I hear for this mass exodus are poor instruction and poor curriculum in OPS.  Perhaps the OPS teachers who criticize the property tax relief for their student’s parents instead should concentrate on improving their instructional skills and seeking improved curricula in  their classrooms.  Email netaxpayers@gmail.com to join our NTF Education Watch Project. 

GREEDY TEACHERS' UNION

 

The recently-passed property tax relief bill for the 1st year will offer taxpayers only a 6% refundable state tax credit on property taxes paid ONLY to their public school district.  But the greedy NE State Education Association rumored to either begin a petition campaign or introduce a legislative bill to REPEAL this small property tax credit.  The teachers’ union insatiable greed knows no bounds.  It appears to want to retain high property taxes plus grab huge helpings of state revenue for its inflated salaries & generous benefits.  Help elect legislative candidates this fall who decline to accept tantalizing teacher union contributions. 

HEALTH CARE ADVISORY

 Americans for Tax Reform today released a coalition letter signed by 80 free market, conservative, and libertarian groups and activists in opposition to President Donald Trump’s recent “Most Favored Nation” executive order. 

If implemented, the order would impose an “International Pricing Index” on Medicare Part B drugs, tying American drug prices to the prices in foreign countries with government-run healthcare systems. 

President Trump has repeatedly stood strong against the left’s calls for socialized medicine, even promising in the 2020 State of the Union Address that “we will never let socialism destroy American healthcare.” 

Unfortunately, an MFN policy would adopt these same socialist healthcare policies and threaten American medical innovation. As the letter notes: 

Adopting these price controls will slow medical innovation, threaten American jobs, and undermine criticism of single-payer systems. In addition, a United States embrace of price controls will make it immeasurably more difficult to get foreign countries to pay their own way in the development of new medicines.

An MFN policy would also threaten our COVID-19 response and exacerbate foreign freeloading off of American innovation. As the letter notes: 

The U.S. is the best in the world when it comes to developing innovative, lifesaving and life preserving medicines. Because of this, the U.S. is leading the way when it comes to developing COVID-19 vaccines, with several promising candidates entering the final stages of testing and clinical trials.

In contrast, foreign countries have been free riding off this American medical innovation for decades through crushing price controls and other market-distorting government rules and regulations.

The MFN order would also harm our economy through a decrease in research and development. Medical innovation directly or indirectly supports 4 million jobs and $1.1 trillion in total economic impact, which will be threatened by importing price controls from foreign countries. 

Finally, the letter urges President Trump to apply the same successful, deregulatory, market-based approach that he has championed in other policy areas to health care: 

As President, you have championed vital changes in tax and regulatory policies that have allowed free market innovation to flourish. We believe a market-based approach like those that your administration has consistently supported in other policy areas will lead to economic growth and promising new treatments, but adopting price controls through the MFN plan would undermine rather than build on those successes.