IT is not a cure-all
The next time you hear some pro-income tax person claim - or read some biased newspaper explain in an allegedly "unbiased" news account - just how an income tax will protect the state from shortfalls during economic slumps, quote them from this USA Today story, which convincingly demolishes the notion that an income tax is the cure-all for deficits.

Fact is, states with income taxes are suffering massive deficits because of the recession, and a big reason is the fall of the inflated stock market that sharply reduced capital gains income. The reality is, as the economy rebounds, consumer purchasing will be its driving force and revenue from the sales tax is likely to rebound faster than income tax revenue. Consumer spending will rebound ahead of employment - hence, the sales tax will show recovery ahead of taxes on employment such as the income tax.

The USA Today story undermines the idea that those who favor Tennessee having an income tax do so for any other reason than providing government an additional $1.4 billion to spend this year.