Alexander on Taxes
Note: This section contains more than one position statement.

January: Alexander on tax proposals
Excerpt from speech at Portsmouth on 1/18/1996, recorded  and transcribed
by Michaleen Driscoll of UNH

We need a new tax system, my idea of a new tax system, the kind I believe
a common sense conservative would propose, would be one with on lower
rates, on income, on inheritence, and on capital gains and many fewer
deductions.  That would be much simpler, that would make sense.  I had the
opportunity Saturday in our debate in Iowa with the other candidates, to
suggest to Iowans something I'll suggest to you, you might want to take
the time as I have, to read the fine print in the Forbes Flat Tax plan. 
Uh, we got to about our third question in the debate, and Mr. Forbes had
given the tax, his tax plan as a solution from everything from improving
racial harmony to-to improving the schools.  And I suggested to the Io-the
the Iowans, that after I read the fine print, I had concluded that it was
a truly nutty idea in the tradition of Jerry Brown.  Because it would
begin by wiping out the mortgage interest rate deduction and knocking
down, uh, the value of your farm and your home by ten to twenty-five
percent.  It hasn't been long ago since New Hampshire went through a
difficult real estate crash and you might want to think about having
another one.  It would also wipe out the charitable deduction, just at a,
at a time I think we think we need to encourage more neighborhood charity,
charity and less Washington welfare.  It would be a middle-income tax
increase, it would, it looks like and it would absolutely sink at
balancing the budget.  Now that doesn't sound to me like a common sense
conservative tax cutting plan. 

From Campaign Literature, June, 1995
   Taxes:
   Federal taxes are too high already. Those who would solve the deficit
   problem by raising them higher couldn't be more wrong. It's the
   spending side that needs our full attention. Taxes need simplifying
   and some of them need lowering. Our goal should be to shrink the
   federal government and put more in the pockets of the American people.
   I would sign a capital gains tax cut in a minute because, as someone
   who has helped start a business, I know how many jobs it would create.