“Low taxes are the result of low spending”
“Low taxes are the result of low spending” was the slogan of Meldrim Thomson Jr. (1912-2001), a Republican governor of New Hampshire from 1973-1979. In 1978, the New York (NY) Times reported that this was a framed quotation hanging over his desk. Thomson was also known for another slogan: “Ax the Tax.”
Wikipedia: Meldrim Thomson, Jr.
Meldrim Thomson, Jr. (March 8, 1912 – April 19, 2001) was a Republican who served three terms as Governor of the U.S. state of New Hampshire from 1973 to 1979, during which time he became known as a strong supporter of conservative political values.
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Governorship
Thomson coined the slogans “Low taxes are the result of low spending” and “Ax the Tax” to represent his fiscal philosophy. He eventually became recognized as one of the most conservative governors in the nation. During his tenure, the state reinstituted the death penalty and abolished a majority of New Hampshire’s taxes (income, capital gains, sales, etc.).
30 March 1978, New York (NY) Times, “New Hampshire Governor Strikes a Responsive Chord” by Michael Knight, pg. 23:
CONCORD, N.H., March 28—The thing about the New Hampshire flag flap is that the mockery of outsiders was not echoed here. No one here laughs at Gov. Meldrim Thomson Jr. anymore.
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New Hampshire has neither a sales tax nor an income tax. Refugees from across the border—more than 100,000 people since the 1970 census, along with scores of corporations—call their old home Taxachusetts and are among the most fervent supporters of Governor Thomson, whose fiscal philosophy is summed up in a framed quotation hanging over his desk in the 1819 Statehouse: “Low Taxes Are the Result of Low Spending—Mel Thomson.”
Manchester (NH) Union-Leader
Gale Thomson: On taxes, Mitt Romney really gets it
By GALE THOMSON
Friday, Jan. 4, 2008
“AX THE TAX.” That was the slogan my husband, Meldrim Thomson, ran on when he was elected governor of New Hampshire.
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I know that Gov. Romney strongly believes in what he calls the lessons of Ronald Reagan 101: bring taxes down, that will grow the economy and allow us to have better jobs and a better future. As my husband always said, “Low taxes are the result of low spending.” Mitt Romney embodies this vital conservative principle.
Concord (NH) Monitor
Our Turn
What this state needs: a new pledge
All candidates must be willing to sign
By Corey R. Lewandowski and Tom Thomson / For the Monitor
September 22, 2010
Almost 40 years ago Gov. Meldrim Thomson put forth a simple and concise pledge to the people of New Hampshire. With the slogan “Ax the Tax” behind him, Thomson asked candidates for political office to “practice economy and frugality . . . to obtain the blessings of liberty and good government.”
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With your help, we can make New Hampshire great again. The old axiom made famous by Mel Thomson, “Low taxes are the result of low spending,” has never held more meaning. Those were words to live by 40 years ago and, if we care about our children’s future, we must return to those principles.