Brandon Jones - House District 111

Dear Friends,

It’s election season and trying to pick out the truth from among the tall weeds isn’t easy.  Today’s reminder of that fact came in the form of another negative mailer from my opponent.

For the past four years, I’ve worked for real tax relief—voting to cut taxes 40 times, sponsoring 21 tax cuts, voting against a $200 million hospital tax, and helping write the Mississippi Taxpayer Transparency Act, a measure to create a website that tracks every penny spent by the state.  That’s why Mr. Busby’s recent mailer accusing me of “working hard to raise taxes” came as such a surprise.
 
Even more shocking than this outlandish claim are the examples Mr. Busby uses to make his point.  House Bill 1684 from the 2010 legislative session was requested by our own Chevron Refinery in Pascagoula.  This bill was implemented to help streamline the way Chevron pays its state taxes when it sells machinery or uses construction services at its refinery.  Since its passage, Chevron has complimented the legislature for resolving what was a major headache for the company.  This bill passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate and you can see those votes by clicking here and here.  Upon its passage, Governor Barbour signed House Bill 1684 into law.
 
Amazingly, Mr. Busby also accuses me of raising “your” taxes by voting for House Bills 1692, 1702, 1597, and 1723, four bills that were requested by the cities of Hattiesburg, Fulton, Byhalia, and West Point respectively and which have absolutely no impact on Jackson County residents.
 
Among the other bills mentioned in Mr. Busby’s mailer were 7 bills signed by Governor Barbour that passed with broad bi-partisan support.
 
I’m proud to have consistently voted for balanced budgets supported by Lieutenant Governor Bryant and signed into law by Governor Barbour.  With your help, I plan to continue to work for real tax relief.
 
Thank you for the opportunity to serve,

Brandon