Kalagias seeks House

Michael Kalagias announced his bid to replace term-limited Rep. Duncan Baird as the Arkansas House District 96 representative. District 96 includes eastern Benton County including Avoca, Garfield, Gateway, east Rogers, and east Lowell. Kalagias, of Garfield, has filed as a Libertarian.

"I am very disappointed with the current path of our elected leaders. Things were supposed to change when the Republicans gained control of the state house and senate with the ability to override the governor's veto, but nothing did," Kalagias said. "They still passed the state's part of Obamacare, the private option, despite lip service against it. There is no such thing as free money, and this is a program we simply cannot afford. They claimed a tax cut that in reality nicked only a tenth of one percent off the income tax rate for the lowest earners, while hiking the sales tax rate a half percent for the next ten years. Arkansas currently has the highest income tax rate in the country, and one of the highest sales tax rates as well. This is not a category where we want to exceed states like New York or California."

Kalagias said he wants to lower all the tax rates and tie every specific tax to a specific function.

"For example, I think we should lower the gasoline and diesel fuel tax to no more than 20 cents per gallon, and ensure that every cent raised is spent on building and maintaining state highways. Lower the sales tax on food to one percent, and spend that money strictly on food programs for the poor. Lower the sales tax to 5 percent, and spend that revenue only on education. This way everyone knows specifically what the taxes we pay are being spent on, and everyone will be able to understand the budget. This is the kind of transparency we need in government."

Campaign finance abuses also concern Kalagias.

"I think money has become too important to most candidates. Unfortunately, even the most well-intentioned politicians end up sacrificing their stated values in order to raise campaign funds. I will not accept money from anyone for my campaign, so the people know I will be representing them and stay true to my values."