Rep. Ryan Rose (R-Van Buren) is knocking on doors and making calls as he faces a Libertarian challenger in November for House District 48.
Rose told Conduit News the top concern he hears from voters is affordability, especially gas, diesel, and the price of goods. While much of that is driven by federal and global forces, Rose said the state can still “reduce your tax burden in Arkansas and limit spending.”
To that end, Rose plans to refile legislation eliminating sales tax on used vehicles priced at $10,000 or less and wants to begin phasing out sales tax on labor, starting with cleaning services. He also floated ending property taxes on paid-off primary residences and freezing rates at the time of purchase, and said he supports renewing a ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying.
Rose said he regrets his vote for SB307, the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act, saying lawmakers “kind of got sold a bill of goods” and that he expects reform efforts next session. “This is one I have 100% buyer’s remorse on,” he said.
He also reaffirmed his opposition to Issue 3, criticizing it for letting “unelected people pick winners and losers.”
Rose, who said education freedom is one of the reasons he ran for office, pointed to signs LEARNS is working. He noted that more schools improved than declined in the latest letter grades, crediting competition with driving better outcomes, and said there is “not rampant fraud” in the program. He also cited University of Arkansas researcher Dr. Patrick Wolf, whose upcoming report on education freedom accounts Rose expects will show how well the program is working. On cost, Rose said the accounts are a good deal for taxpayers, running about $7,000 per student compared with roughly $15,600 in average per-pupil public school funding.
In closing, Rose said constituents across the state who need help with child welfare issues can reach his office through ryanroseforarkansas.com.
Listen to the full interview with Rep. Ryan Rose on Conduit News, available wherever you get your podcasts.
