From my mailbox:
Have you seen Sutton’s new television ad? It’s unbelievable. Really!
In his 30-second ad, we find an untruth every 10 seconds (And yes, this was fact checked.)
FIRST 10 SECONDS:
Once again, Billie Sutton claims it’s not accurate to accuse him of wanting a state income tax. But we weren’t the ones saying it – HE DID! Does his word mean anything? Guess not.
SECOND 10 SECONDS:
Billie Sutton says he voted to reduce taxes, but he fails to mention he’s supported EVEN MORE tax hikes during his time in Pierre.
THIRD 10 SECONDS:
Here’s the kicker… Billie Sutton falsely accuses Kristi of a $135 million ag property tax increase. That’s not true. Without Kristi’s work, ag property taxes would have skyrocketed. That didn’t happen under the bipartisan plan Kristi supported – and we have the numbers to prove it.
In 2008, when the bill Billie Sutton references passed, ag contributed 24.87% of tax revenues. In 2009, that number decreases to 24.81%. It drops again in 2010 to 24.50%. It drops again in 2011 to 23.97%. What Billie’s simple math doesn’t account for is that the ag economy grew between 2008 and 2017. But then again, as a Bernie Sanders Democrat, he might not recognize economic growth when he sees it.
As always, you don’t just have to trust us on this. The following groups backed the bipartisan plan Kristi supported: South Dakota Farmers Union, South Dakota Corn Growers Association, South Dakota Wheat Inc., South Dakota Stockgrowers, South Dakota Association of Co-Ops, South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Farm Bureau, South Dakota Chamber of Commerce… the list could go on but our little fingers are getting tired of typing.
Also… Billie Sutton has been a Pierre Insider for 8 years. Why has it only become a problem when people started talking about his crusade for an income tax?
HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE: Billie Sutton doesn’t want to talk about the policies of Bernie Sanders that he said he supports. He doesn’t want to talk about the fact that he has repeatedly floated an income tax – or that his party included it in their party platform. He isn’t talking about the issues that matter to people. But that’s what we’re for.
– The Fact Check Gnomes
