An answer on taxes

It has begun.

The conservative Republican primary season has officially gotten underway, as members of the party’s anti-tax wing begin to confront their more moderate peers on the campaign trail as both vie for voter’s approval.

And given that tax day comes this month, it’s the perfect time to appeal to Americans angry about having had to pay up to Uncle Sam.

Famous son Danny Tarkanian, now running for Congress in the 3rd District, attacked primary rival state Sen. Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, over the passage of the commerce tax in the 2015 Legislature. In an interview on “PoliticsNOW” (airing at 5:30 p.m. tonight), Tarkanian slammed Roberson for signing an anti-tax pledge and campaigning against taxes, only to play an instrumental role in the passage of the state’s first tax on business revenue.

Meanwhile, a Sun City Conservatives Club candidate’s forum between Republican Assembly members Erv Nelson and Victoria Seaman — both of whom are seeking the open state Senate District 6 seat — saw Seaman attack Nelson’s support of the commerce tax bill, following a floor speech in which Nelson acknowledged changing his mind on taxes.

And there will be more; several other Republicans who supported taxes will face primaries, and the issue will bedevil them all the way until the June primary election. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Yes, Roberson did sign the Americans for Tax Reform’s anti-tax pledge, and he’s been heard to speak ill of taxes a time or two during his political career. But he also did a good bit of listening and learning during his years in Carson City, which led him to promise (at least in the general election of 2014) that he’d work to properly fund education.

That’s how Nelson answered Seaman’s attacks at the forum, saying anti-tax lawmakers were only too happy to tout support for programs without having the courage to vote to fund them.

Both Roberson and Nelson illustrate the dubious practice of pledging to never vote for a net increase in taxes, regardless of future circumstances. But both also illustrate the strength of character that comes in putting the good of students and the state ahead of abstract political philosophy, even at risk to their own careers.

So when the primary attacks come, as they inevitably will, Republicans who voted for taxes should try something radical: tell voters the truth. Say something like this:

“Yes, I was opposed to taxes, and I still consider them a last resort. Yes, I understand you voted for me at least in part because of my anti-tax stand. But you also voted for me because I said I would apply myself to fixing the problems that have plagued this state for decades, which have gone unaddressed and unsolved for far too long. We took action to fix those problems, to make things better for our kids and their future.

“And while I’m now under attack by people who lacked the courage to address those problems, it would have been downright irresponsible of me to ignore those issues for even one more day. So I stand behind every vote we took, every program we passed, and, yes, every tax that was necessary to pay for those badly needed reforms. I’m ready to be judged by our results, but know this: I didn’t take the easy way out, hiding behind a pledge or a philosophy while ignoring festering problems or leaving them for somebody else to solve. The people who did, who tell you what you want to hear but who never really do anything to make life in our state any better than it is now, deserve to be judged just as scrupulously as you’ll judge me.”

Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist and co-host of the show “PoliticsNOW,” airing at 5:30 p.m. Sundays on 8NewsNow. Read his blog at SlashPolitics.com, follow him on Twitter (@SteveSebelius) or reach him at 702-387-5276 or SSebelius@reviewjournal.com.