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Taxes issue in 1st District

Deseret News

Published: Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006 11:20 p.m. MST

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The primary disagreements between Rep. Rob Bishop and his Democratic challenger in the 1st Congressional District, Steve Olsen, can be found on the nation's balance sheet.

Based on the candidates' responses to a Deseret Morning News questionnaire, distinctions between the two are almost non-existent on moral issues and separated only by shades of gray when it comes to major issues like the Iraq war or immigration.

Deseret Morning News graphic

Candidate Q & A: Rob Bishop

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Only when discussing the tax cuts passed by Congress in 2001 does a genuine chasm appear between their stances.

Olsen, in fact, stresses repeatedly in his answers that there have not actually been tax cuts. Instead, the so-called cuts, he says, are actually a "grandchild tax" because future generations will have to spend more of their tax dollars to fix the deficits incurred during the previous six years.

Bishop, R-Utah, argues that the tax cuts need to be made permanent because it helps the economy when people "keep more of their hard-earned dollars." The deficits and tax cuts are not "inherently connected," and by letting people control their money the economy will eventually prosper.

Both candidates agree that a part of the problem is that the government continues to spend money beyond its budget.

Deseret Morning News graphic