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Roanoke, Va. — On Friday in Roanoke, long-time corporate lobbyist Ed Gillespie finally came clean about what lobbyists like himself really do: help big businesses get out of paying taxes. It’s a startling admission from a man who spent decades lobbying for tax carve-outs and special favors for some of the biggest corporations in the world — at the expense of the middle class.
Gillespie has made clear that as governor, he would continue to push this swampy agenda. Gillespie’s tax plan — which Republicans have called “phony math” — would slash taxes for the wealthiest and line the pockets of millionaires and billionaires — and could cause economic disaster. Experts predict that Gillespie’s $1.3 billion tax cut could jeopardize the commonwealth’s AAA bond rating and force cuts to public education, transportation, higher education, and healthcare.
“Ed Gillespie has finally admitted that he spent decades in Washington helping big corporations get out of paying for our military, our schools and our roads,” said DPVA spokesperson Kevin Donohoe. “Ed’s career lobbying for big corporations at the expense of small business should immediately disqualify him from serving as the next governor of our commonwealth. Virginians in both parties don’t want a corporate lobbyist who spent years undermining the middle class as their next governor — they want a leader who will fight for them.”
WATCH
Transcript:
"Two-thirds of corporate income tax rate payers in Virginia pay zero corporate income tax. Big companies are able to mitigate the cost of taxation as well as regulation, they've got accountants and lawyers and lobbyists and they're able to mitigate those tax burdens in a way that small business owners, some Chapter Fs, LLCs, sole entrepreneurs cannot."
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