The goal of state and local taxation should be to raise revenue for its core responsibilities while benefiting the economy and doing minimal damage. We believe individuals make the best decisions with their own earnings. Excessive or overly prescriptive tax systems reduce purchasing power, distort behavior, and limit individuals’ ability to innovate, cooperate, and chart their own course in life. Tax reform should be growth-oriented and empower people, not coerce them.

Zeroing out the income tax means there is more take-home pay for workers and families and a stronger incentive to earn and invest, leading to greater upward mobility for families and communities. There will be economic growth and job creation, and interstate competition and migration as people move from high-income-tax states to low- or no-income-tax states.

Effective messaging should emphasize empowering individuals, promoting state competitiveness, ensuring fiscal responsibility through triggers, and linking tax policy to migration patterns. These points clearly connect reform to real-world benefits and address common concerns. 

CL Income Tax One-Pager