NEW: GOP Condemns Chafee Budget

NEW: GOP Condemns Chafee Budget

State Republicans today are lambasting Governor Lincoln Chafee for all the new taxes he proposed in his budget.

Travis Rowley, the Chairman of the Rhode Island Young Republicans, criticized Chafee and Democrats for wanting to increase taxes for the already-highly taxed Rhode Island citizens. “Liberals always have a list in their pocket of things they can tax whenever their reckless policies run their course,” he said. “Until progressives and Democrats decide to attack the state's structural overspending habits, the root of Rhode Island's problems, we will continue to sink further away from economic recovery. “

The two candidates for the RI GOP chair, Patrick Sweeney and Ken McKay, also spoke out against the proposed tax policies.

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McKay discussed Chafee’s previous campaign promise to not increase sales taxes by more than one percent and encouraged voters to elect more Republicans, saying, “This is the real problem with tax and spend liberals, whether they are independents or Democrats. Once they open the door on taking more of our money to solve their problem it is easy to take more and more from us -- even while many of Rhode Island’s working families are one pink slip away from personal financial calamity.”

Sweeney, who is also a board member of the Young Republicans, expressed concern for the financial well being of the Rhode Island population. "While Rhode Islanders are suffering from the 4th highest unemployment rate in the nation with over 65,000 people out of work, they are also forced to deal with a governor who finds it prudent to raise taxes on clothing, heating oil, textbooks, and water,” he said. “Chafee just increased the tax burden on Rhode Islanders struggling to keep their jobs and save their homes from foreclosure.”