NASHVILLE, TN – Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney issued the following statement on tax day – the deadline for Americans to file their tax returns with the federal government:

“This is the time of year in which Americans take stock of exactly how much of their hard-earned money is taken from them. This tax day is particularly daunting because taxpayers know they are footing the bill for the trillions of dollars in big-government policies Washington Democrats have rammed through Congress over the last year.

“Here in Tennessee, Democrats are proving that the only solutions they have for our state’s economic challenges are more tax hikes. Gov. Bredesen has already proposed $50 million in new taxes in his budget and just today it was reported he wants to increase the so-called ‘luxury’ tax – a tax on items exceeding $3,200.

“The fact is Democrats just don’t get it. Our Republican candidates across the state understand that we need a smaller, more efficient government that is going to ease the tax burden on Tennesseans, not increase it. Voters are gravitating toward that message and that’s why Republicans in Tennessee are going to be so successful this November.”