Second District Congressional candidates Tim Griffin and Joyce Elliott fielded questions and engaged in crossfire at a UALR Law School forum on Friday.
Elliott, the Democratic nominee, has promoted campaign literature that highlights a Washington, D.C.-based group’s contention that Griffin is "one of the most corrupt candidates for Congress."
Griffin, who won the Republican nomination in May, singled out the piece at the event. You can watch video highlights of the exchange at Talk Business content partner, The Tolbert Report. Elliott defended the piece during and after the forum.
The two Congressional contenders also disagreed on tax issues. Elliott supports renewed tax cuts on all but those making more than $250,000 annually. Griffin is in favor of a renewal of the Bush-era tax cuts, which would extend to those making more and less than $250,000.
Elliott also criticized Griffin for his support of a "fair tax" plan, which Griffin denied supporting. Griffin has advocated interest in a "flat tax" proposal which would reduce the number of tax levels across all income categories.
After the law school duel, Elliott’s campaign said Griffin had flip-flopped on the fair tax issue. They cited a March interview on KARN Newsradio in which Griffin said, “I am absolutely committed to the fair tax."
“There is nothing ‘fair’ about imposing a 30% sales tax on middle class families and retirees," Elliott said afterwards. "If Mr. Griffin supports that idea and has expressed his support for it in the past, I think it is vital that the voters of Arkansas know about it.”
Griffin responded in an e-mail to reporters.
"I have been and continue to be committed to tax reform that lowers taxes for every American. The audio cited by my opponent’s campaign makes clear that I was open to considering a number of tax-cutting options and remain so. The more I learned about the so-called fair tax plan, the less I liked it. I did my homework. I will do my homework in Congress too. And unlike my opponent, who is looking for ways to raise taxes, I am looking for ways to cut taxes," Griffin said.
"My preference is to avoid any reform that includes a consumption tax and focus on the flat income tax with a lower overall burden because I believe it is better for the economy and private sector job creation," Griffin added.