Candidates' positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con, or None Found.
Candidates who have changed their positions are listed as Now their most recent position.
(Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by party; black & white photos indicate candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria.)
Chuck Baldwin, Founder and Minister of the Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL, issued the following statement through his Communications Director, Mary Starrett, in an Aug. 11, 2008 email to ProCon.org:
"Yes, they are a starting point. We favor elimination of the income tax and a return to reliance on excises, imposts, and duties as the primary source of revenue for the Federal government."
Bob Barr, former US House Representative (R-GA), in a July 16, 2008 press release titled "Bob Barr Asks: Where Does John McCain Really Stand on Increasing Taxes?" on his official candidate website, stated:
"Tax increases are not the answer to our economic problems...We must cut spending and taxes, and reduce both the burden and complexity of taxes. We can debate the best reform program, but the starting point of real change must be a steadfast refusal to hike taxes." July 16, 2008 Bob Barr
John McCain, US Senator (R-AZ), stated in a Mar. 13, 2008 interview with Sean Hannity on FOX News' Hannity & Colmes:
"[Sean] Hannity: ...You are now for extending the Bush tax cuts.
[John] McCain: We have to, otherwise a tax increase.
Hannity: All right. But you initially voted against them, and there were two of them in particular. One in, what, 2001, one in 2003? There were two phases of it...
McCain: ...And by the way, I voted several times to keep them permanent since then.
I wanted us to restrain spending. I wanted -- I had a package of tax cuts. I believe if we restrain spending and it was more steered toward middle-income Americans, then I think we'd bet talking about further tax cuts today.
Hannity: Do you wish now that you voted for those tax cuts?
McCain: No, because I really believe that spending restraint was an important part of the package."
[Editor's Note: Prior to John McCain's Dec. 20, 2007 Pro position regarding making Bush's tax cuts permanent, he has also expressed a Con position as indicated in his Apr. 2, 2007 statement on FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace below.]
"[Chris] Wallace You were one of two Republicans to vote against the Bush tax cuts in 2001, one of three Republicans to vote against the Bush tax cuts two years later. At that time, you said that they were fiscally reckless and that they skewed - they favored the rich. Now you say you would not allow the tax cuts to expire. Is that a flip-flop?
[John] McCain No, because it would have the effect of a tax increase, and I don't support tax increases. The fact is that in 2000 I had a proposal that restrained spending. I voted against those tax cuts because there was no restraint of spending, and spending lurched out of control completely."
Cynthia McKinney, former US House Representative (D-GA), in a Mar. 7, 2008 Wikinews article titled "Wikinews Interviews US Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney," stated:
"I spent my birthday last year protesting in front of the Pentagon. At that rally, I stated that upon winning a majority of the seats in the Congress, the Democratic representatives should have repealed the Bush tax cuts, repealed the Patriot Act, the Secret Evidence Act, and the Military Tribunals Act." Mar. 7, 2008 Cynthia McKinney
Ralph Nader, attorney, author, and political activist, stated in an article titled "Tax Fraud" on The Progress Report website (accessed Apr. 10, 2008):
"Bush's tax cut plan shows he also has problems with 'the vision thing.' President Bush may not realize it, but moderate and liberal members of Congress could save him a lot of grief if they voted down or sharply modified the administration's proposal for a massive tax cut. Fueled by the excess of campaign promises, the president's $1.6 trillion tax cut threatens to return the nation to the dark days of growing deficits, higher interest rates, and tightfisted public-investment policies which leave no room for dealing with the nation's most pressing social and economic problems." Apr. 10, 2008 Ralph Nader
Joe Biden, US Senator (D-DE), stated in a Sep. 7, 2007 press release titled "Five Years After 9/11: Rethinking America's Future Security" on his official candidate website:
"The Bush tax cuts for millionaires exceed $60 billion this year alone. I am proposing we take back some of the tax cuts for people who make over a million dollars a year.
Hillary Clinton, US Senator (D-NY), in a Sep. 17, 2007 article titled "HEALTH CARE: Remarks on American Health Choices Plan" on her official candidate website, stated:
"...And I will pay for some of it [Hillary Clinton's health plan] by rolling back part of President Bush's fiscally irresponsible tax breaks for the highest income Americans." Sep. 17, 2007 Hillary Clinton
Chris Dodd, US Senator (D-CT), stated in a May 1, 2005 interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press:
"SEN. DODD: ...Simply if you would just take what the President suggested in 2001 for his tax cuts, which were not to be permanent but to expire within 10 years. If he would not make those permanent, those tax cuts will amount to about $11 trillion in revenue losses over the next 75 years. The solvency issue for the Social Security Trust Fund is around $3 trillion. Just reduce that tax cut by $3 trillion, keep $8 trillion if you want. That solves the solvency problem without cutting benefits at all. That's one way to do it, and we ought to be doing more.
MR. RUSSERT: But that's a tax increase.
SEN. DODD: Oh, no. He's made - they were temporary. These were temporary. The president said in 2001 these are temporary. They're going to terminate, expire in 10 years. Instead of making them permanent, just reduce the amount.
MR. RUSSERT: But if limiting the growth of Social Security is a cut, then ending a tax cut has to be a tax increase...
SEN. DODD: ...Do I want to cut 50 percent of a middle-income person's retirement benefits or do I want to ask the top 1 percent of income earners to do with a little less of a tax cut on a permanent basis? That choice is easy, and I think most of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, would prefer that option." May 1, 2005 Chris Dodd
John Edwards, former US Senator (D-NC), stated in the Democratic Presidential Debate held at Howard University in Washington, DC on June 28, 2007:
"...[W]e need to get rid of George Bush's tax cuts for rich people which have distorted the tax system in America. I would use that money to pay for universal health care, to make sure everyone's covered." June 28, 2007 John Edwards
Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City, stated in an article titled "Rudy Giuliani: Lower Tax Rates Will Help All Americans" on his official candidate website (accessed Dec. 19, 2007):
"Our nation is facing a looming tax crisis caused by the scheduled expiration of the Bush tax cuts beginning in 2010, the ever-widening reach of the Alternative Minimum Tax, and the effects of real bracket creep.
If I'm elected President, I'll keep the tax cuts - or their equivalent - in place. And we'll enact additional tax relief.
We need to keep America competitive in the global marketplace. That's why we'll ensure lower corporate tax rates to solidify a strong economy and protect American jobs." Dec. 19, 2007 Rudy Giuliani
Mike Gravel, former US Senator (D-AK), in the June 28, 2007 Democratic Presidential Debate held at Howard University in Washington, DC, stated:
"Do you think it's [an] accident that all of a sudden we wake up, that the wealthy aren't paying a fair share? The only way they're going to pay a fair share is wipe out the income tax -- it is corrupt, it's corrupting our society...and begin to put in place a tax that everybody will know what everybody's paying, and that's a retail sales tax. And you can make it as progressive as you want. Keep in mind, a tax where everybody will know what everybody is paying." June 28, 2007 Mike Gravel
Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, stated in an article titled "Gov. Mike Huckabee on Tax Cuts (Family Research Council Action Video Voter Guide)" on the Capitol Hill Broadcasting Network website (accessed Dec. 19, 2007):
"I'd rather think of them not as President Bush's tax cuts but the American people's tax cuts, because that's who they benefit... It's benefited the people who earned that money in the first place. The ones that sacrificed extraordinary amounts of their time and capital to build a business and want to pass it on to their kids. To those small business owners who have built wealth out of absolute nothing but a dream sitting on their kitchen table, and who have paid taxes on that income as that income grew their entire lives. To suddenly turn around and say, 'Now, for no fault other than the fact that you are deceased we are going to collect yet one more tax upon your dead body and the future of your children.' That's not how America was made strong. It's not the kind of thing that encourages the entrepreneurial spirit that creates jobs and gives people who grew up like I did, the opportunity to do better in life." Dec. 19, 2007 Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter, US Representative (R-CA), on Apr. 18, 2002 voted Yes on the "Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2002" (H.R.586):
"To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make permanent the tax reductions enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 [2001 Bush tax cuts] and to protect taxpayers and ensure accountability of the Internal Revenue Service."
Apr. 18, 2002 "Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2002" (H.R.586), Library of Congress website
ProCon.org emailed the Imperato campaign on Dec. 13, 2007 with this question. Mr. Imperato provided a response to this question and 26 others during a recorded 45-minute telephone interview with ProCon.org on Mar. 11, 2008. On Mar. 21, 2008 Mr. Imperato no longer met our eligibility criteria for inclusion on this site, and we stopped transcribing his verbal responses as of that date.
Alan Keyes, former Assistant US Secretary of State, stated in a May 1, 2001 Environment News article titled "Why Regulating CO2 Would Be a Disaster":
"Events before and after the election have only confirmed that President George W. Bush was indeed right to put tax relief at the center of his domestic agenda. With the nation's economy slouching towards recession, with the lights going out in California, and with consumers squeezed by soaring energy prices, Bush is right to advocate tax cuts and federal initiatives to 'speed construction of new energy sources.'" May 1, 2001 Alan Keyes
Steve Kubby, a Libertarian candidate and founder of the American Medical Marijuana Association, stated in a Jan. 10, 2008 email to ProCon.org:
"Yes -- and then some! Those tax cuts were miniscule, and their effects were immediately erased with inflationary deficit spending. Their only real lasting legacy is to serve as proof positive that the Republican Party isn't serious about cutting taxes. You want serious? As president, I'll ask Congress to balance the budget AND repeal the income tax. If they refuse, I'll insist on a balanced budget and on real, regular, significant tax cuts in the form of a standard annual increase to the personal exemption. And I'll wear my veto pen out enforcing that." Jan. 10, 2008 Steve Kubby
Dennis Kucinich, US Representative (D-OH), stated at the Oct. 30, 2007 Democratic Presidential Debate held in Philadelphia, PA:
"We need to cancel Bush's tax cuts and flip them so we give the benefit to the 80 percent, while currently it's going to the top one percent, so people will have more money so they can save their homes." Oct. 30, 2007 Dennis Kucinich
Frank McEnulty, President of Our Castle Homes, in a Dec. 20, 2007 email to ProCon.org, stated:
"Yes, I believe the current levels of taxation are fair and equitable. However, I believe the tax code is far too complicated and twisted towards numerous special interests and should, therefore, be moved more towards a flat tax system of taxation." Dec. 20, 2007 Frank McEnulty
Ron Paul, US Representative (R-TX), in an Apr. 2, 2001 article titled "Dr. Paul's Writings, Uncontrolled Spending Threatens Our Liberty" on his official candidate website, stated:
"I certainly support President Bush's tax cut initiatives, and I will vote (or have voted) for each plank in his tax cut plan. Lowering marginal rates, eliminating the marriage penalty, abolishing the death tax- these are worthy goals for any administration. I also applaud the President for living up to his campaign promises by making these tax cuts a priority. Congress already approved marginal rate reductions and elimination of the marriage penalty; estate tax repeal legislation likely will reach the House floor in April. At this rate the President may enact his tax cut proposals by the end of the year, which would be a great accomplishment for a new administration. Certainly my own legislation would reduce taxes more drastically, but I always support any tax cut proposals as a step in the right direction. Voters in my district know that I am committed to reducing the size of the federal government, and tax reduction is an important step in returning the federal government to its proper constitutional role." Apr. 2, 2001 Ron Paul
Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico, stated at the Democratic Presidential Debate held at Howard University in Washington, DC on June 28, 2007:
"There's no question -- there's no question that there's tax unfairness in this country, but we have to rebuild the economy. Yes, the Bush tax cuts of 2 percent; that has to go. But I would replace those Bush tax cuts with tax cuts for the middle class." June 28, 2007 Bill Richardson
Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, submitted the following in an Oct. 4, 2007 press release titled "Policy Briefing: A Conservative Blueprint to Lower Taxes" on his official candidate website:
"Governor Romney Will Make The Bush Tax Cuts Permanent. Governor Romney believes making the Bush Tax Cuts permanent is the first step to ensuring that Americans are able to keep more of their hard-earned money." Oct. 4, 2007 Mitt Romney
Christine Smith, a Libertarian candidate and a social and political activist, stated in a Feb. 27, 2008 email to ProCon.org:
"Yes. This question assumes we really received tax cuts instead of just a tax shift. I am for a significant decrease in spending. Let's cut the spending then we get real tax cuts. The key is ending federal government overspending, best accomplished by ending the warfare and welfare state." Feb. 27, 2008 Christine Smith
Fred Thompson, former US Senator (R-TN), stated in an Oct. 17, 2007 article titled "Thompson: 'While I Was Fighting for Tax Cuts in Congress, Others Were Opposing Tax Cuts in New York'" on his official candidate website:
"There has been no greater friend to the American taxpayer than Fred Thompson, and there will be no greater friend than a Fred Thompson Administration. I ran as a consistent, tax-cutting, small government conservative. I supported all three major tax cuts put before me in the Senate. As Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee, I sought to save the American taxpayer $20 billion in wasteful spending. The Bush tax cuts must be made permanent, and we must cut government spending. I am the only consistent, pro-growth conservative in the race.
While I was fighting for tax cuts in Congress, others were opposing tax cuts in New York state. Others were claiming not to be raising taxes but were instead raising every state-mandated fee and imposing 'hidden taxes' on unsuspecting taxpayers. While others were repudiating Reagan-Bush tax policies, I was fighting for them." Oct. 17, 2007 Fred Thompson