Clark County GOP passes resolutions to oppose CRC, abolish IRS
The Clark County Republican Party’s central committee unanimously passed a resolution earlier this month that “strongly objects to the use of public monies funding the Columbia River Crossing project as currently proposed.” During that same meeting, the committee also passed a resolution supporting the abolition tax system.
The abolition tax concept calls for the dissolution of the U.S. Department of Internal Revenue Service and federal income tax. Instead of the IRS collecting federal taxes based on how much an individual earns, under the abolition tax idea, “the federal government collects taxes directly from the states instead of the people, each state’s obligation being proportional to their state gross product, their population, or other method determined by Congress,” according to the Republicans’ resolution.
The tax resolution also mentions the IRS targeting Tea Party groups, a controversy that has lead to high-profile resignations within the federal agency. The resolution describes the IRS as an agency that “abuses the people, and strikes fear in every American. … the executive and legislative branches of the federal government have repeatedly over decades been unable to resist encouraging and/or compelling the IRS to target, investigate and/or harass their adversaries and enemies.”
The resolution is about making the tax system less abusive, by allowing the state to establish their own methods of collecting revenue for the feds, said Christian Berrigan, the Clark County GOP’s operations director.
Additionally, Berrigan said, “this is an effort to unite the ‘flat tax’ and ‘fair tax’ people behind a single alternative which is far simpler to explain, easier to unite behind, and gets states involved in the debate over federal spending. But most of all, it is about freedom.”
On the CRC, the local GOP’s resolution criticizes the $3.4 billion megaproject as being too expensive and as being a project that has ample public opposition. It also states that other transit options would be better than adding a light rail line on the new bridge.
The CRC would replace the Interstate 5 Bridge over the Columbia River, extend Portland’s light rail system to Clark College in Vancouver and replace freeway interchanges near the bridge.
“We, as a bona-fide political party, are obligated to stand up and be heard on what may be the largest transportation project in state history,” according to the resolution.
The Clark County GOP leadership passed a resolution earlier this year regarding 2nd Amendment rights. According to that resolution, the local party may refuse to support — and even support opposition to — any Republican candidate who seeks new restrictions on gun ownership.
Stevie Mathieu
Stevie Mathieu is a political writer at The Columbian. Contact her at 360-735-4523 or stevie.mathieu@columbian.com or www.facebook.com/reportermathieu or www.twitter.com/col_politics.