By: State Rep. Elaine Sena Cortez, R-Hobbs
New Mexicans are hurting…badly. The solution from Santa Fe? A sympathy card with $250 tucked inside.
That is the Democrats’ answer to years of families getting squeezed by gas prices, groceries, and rent: a one-time rebate check, funded by the same oil and gas boom that’s funding millions of dollars’ worth of Democrat projects that most New Mexicans never see or feel. Governor Lujan Grisham wants credit for “relief.” I will call it what it is: a political pay-off, perfectly
Real relief, to me, looks more like New Mexicans keeping more of what they earn, every single paycheck. Not a one-time gesture, and not only if the state “budget” allows it, but permanently. That’s why I introduced legislation to eliminate New Mexico’s personal income tax altogether. It died in committee last year, buried by a Legislature more interested in protecting its own spending habits than trusting the people who earn the money.
Let’s talk numbers because they matter. Ending the personal income tax would send back more than $2 billion a year directly in the pockets of hardworking New Mexicans, money that goes to car repairs, school supplies, and medical bills, a little breathing room. For an average family, that’s an estimated $2,600 a year. Compare that to the Governor’s $250 offer. It isn’t relief. It’s a slap in the face, and New Mexicans deserve better than being treated like they can’t do simple math.
Here’s what really upsets me, though. The state isn’t hurting for cash. New Mexico is sitting on a massive, oil-driven historical budget surplus. Even after eliminating the income tax, the state would still collect more than $12 billion a year in recurring revenue, which is plenty to fund public schools, law enforcement, and Medicaid without ever touching your paycheck. This was never about whether the state can afford to let people keep their own money. It’s about whether Democrats are willing to give up their habitual habit of spending it for them.
And that’s really what this fight is about. Every year, the Legislature finds new ways to pass one-time, nonrecurring spending; these are pet projects and slush funds dressed up as “investments”, while ordinary families foot the bill. If Santa Fe simply showed some restraint on nonrecurring spending, we could eliminate the income tax without putting a single public service at risk. That’s not a Republican idea. It’s basic fiscal discipline, the kind every New Mexico family practices when budgeting for the month.
I’m also not the first Republican to conjure up this strategy. Rep. Catherine Brown and former Rep. Jason Harper has put in years of elbow grease on this very issue. I’m proud to continue that fight alongside my colleagues in the Minority who have called on the Governor to bring lawmakers back to Santa Fe for a special session to get this done now, not next year, and especially not after the election. New Mexicans deserve more. They deserve lasting relief. Nine other states have already figured out that a personal income tax isn’t a requirement for a functioning government, it’s a choice. Those states are seeing faster population growth and more economic opportunity as a result. New Mexico could see the same effects, but only if our leaders have the courage to choose who they serve over their spending addiction.
New Mexicans don’t need Santa Fe to hand them $250 and call it a favor. They need Santa Fe to get out of the way. I introduced this legislation because I believe the people of this state are fully capable of deciding what’s best for their own families, better than any bureaucrat, any agency, and any governor writing checks on her way out of office. It’s time for real, permanent relief. It’s time to end New Mexico’s personal income tax. For good.
