Posted on Thu, Oct. 11, 2007

Franks, Bryant split over tax questions during Biloxi forum

The Associated Press

BILOXI, Miss. --The candidates for lieutenant governor offered different ideas Wednesday about the future of taxes in Mississippi.

During a political forum at the Saenger Theater in downtown Biloxi, Democratic nominee Jamie Franks said he supports decreasing Mississippi's grocery tax, which, at 7 percent, is the highest in the nation. He said he also supports increasing the 18-cents-a-pack cigarette tax, the nation's third-lowest. Republican nominee Phil Bryant said he doesn't support increasing any tax but he does want to decrease the state income tax.

Neither candidate called for a change in the taxes paid by casinos. Franks and Bryant both said they oppose the proposal by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to develop a casino near Interstate 10 in coastal Jackson County.

The forum sponsored by the Coast Young Professionals focused largely on issues affecting south Mississippi, including proposals for offshore oil drilling.

Bryant, a former state House member from Brandon, has been state auditor for the past decade. He said he supports drilling for oil and gas reserves, but he said he would let the people decide where the wells go.

"I don't mind oil wells," Bryant joked. "I wish I had one in my backyard."

Franks said he supports the drilling, but only if it is more than 12 miles south of the barrier islands. Franks also said he would not allow drilling in national forests.

The son of factory workers from Mooreville, Franks is an attorney and three-term state House member. He said he would not give the next governor a rubber stamp as he perceives has been the case with Gov. Haley Barbour. Franks said that as lieutenant governor, he would stand up to the governor when he believes the governor is wrong.

"The rich have the lobbyists, and the poor have their advocates, but the working families have been left out," Franks said.

Both Franks and Bryant said they support plain-language insurance policies, but Bryant, who said he is a business-minded conservative Republican, said officials must be careful in the decisions they make because many insurance companies are leaving the state.

The current lieutenant governor, Republican Amy Tuck, is limited to two terms and could not run again this year. The election is Nov. 6.

The lieutenant governor presides over the 52-member state Senate, appoints committees and their chairmen and assigns bills to committees.

Information from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com