Jeb Bush's Tax-Cutting Figures Subject to Multiple Interpretations

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is touting his record of tax cutting for his all-but-certain presidential campaign but the figures his organization is offering could be interpreted in a few ways, according to Forbes.

Starting with Bush's first year in office in 1999, he pledged to cut taxes by $1 billion and subsequently fulfilled numerous tax-cutting pledges during his term. His team estimates that he made cuts of a total of $20 billion while in office.

Forbes used figures from the Florida Legislature to estimate that the figure was closer to $13 billion.

"Certainly $20 billion [or even $13 billion] is a lot of cash, and the Bush campaign will continue citing it. But it is fair to ask whether, over a period of seven years in a state that had a population of approximately 19 million, those are really large tax cuts."

Forbes notes that the tax cut amounts to savings of $140 per person.

"We are in the age of bumper-sticker, sound-bite politics. Supporters will say Bush cut taxes by $20 billion. Opponents will say he cut taxes by $140. Both figures are grounded in fact, but they create very different impressions. This is a good example of how the presentation of facts can be massaged to serve a political agenda," Forbes said.

"So was Jeb Bush a pedal-to-the-metal tax slasher in Florida? Or did he just tinker around the edges to make headlines? You can decide for yourself."

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