Clements modifies no-tax pledge AUGLLLJb Lit-iv 1 G 1986 By G. Robert Hillman Austin Bureau of The News AUSTIN — Former Gov. Bill Clements, who has vowed to veto any tax increase should he be I elected governor again, says he can J no longer honor that pledge be- cause of the state's escalating budget deficit. Any such promise now would be "nonsense " e says. e have a changing target," Clements explained in an interview over the weekend, citing deficit Projections by state Comptroller Bob Bullock that have ranged from 51.3 billion in February to 53.5 _ bil- lion on Aug. 6, when the Texas Leg- islature convened in special session to deal with the fiscal crisis. "I don't think anybody, includ- ing myself, at this point really un- derstands what the problem is, or the magnitude of the problem," Clements said. The—ITIF-511 Thinr-gubernart5flie nominee, who is locked in a spirited rematch of his 1982 race against Democratic Gov. Mark White, has been campaigning for months on a platform of no new taxes. And Clements said again during the in- terview that he still opposes any new taxes. But, he allowed, he no longer can stick by his pledge made on ;et). 3 to veto "any and all tax or fee increases" should he win a second term. "I'd have to — you know — con- sider what was involved in it and what kind of situation existed at that time and all those other won- derful caveats," he told The Dallas Morning News after a Saturday night address to the Austin Young epublicans. Feb. 3, however, Clements was adamant in his veto promise. ) have the—Bii-w-how and thi— commitment to tell Texas that I will veto any and all tax or fee in- creases. Bill Clements stands abso- lutely firm on this issue," he said hen. o state persciiiirrncome—tax. No state corporate income tax. No tax increase of any kind. No fee in- crease of any kind," he went on. "I stood solidly by this pledge during my first term and will do so again second term." _ The former governor, who served from 1979 until 1983, first made his veto pledge during an Austin news conference just after he had filed the papers necessary to put his name on the May 3 GOP pri- mary ballot. His remarks were repeated in a statement distributed to reporters ' and in an 18-minute videotape that his campaign offered free on a satel- lite network to Texas television sta- 0 Nonetheless, Clements said at first on Saturday that he could not recall ever making such a pledge. Ex•governor says economic picture promps change in campaign vow "I don't believe I ever diasay that," he said. Later, though, he added that, had he made such a pledge, it had "re- lated at that time to the then-exist- ing circumstances." -Now, Clements said, "We have a chan in norama all the time." "I'm against taxes, to y taxes," he said. "But when you start talking about what I'm going to do four, or five, or six years from now, that's nonsense. "I'm a candidate. I ain't even a governor, yet" ay, two of Clemente aides — press secretary Reggie Bashur and consultant Karl Rove — sought to temper Clements' re- marks, portraying them only as a -modification" of his no-tax stand. "This is not a sea change," Rove said. And Bashur, in a lengthy state- ment, called Clements a "man of to- tal candor" who "tells the people of Texas exactly what he believes." "He does not want any tax in- crease. He certainly does not want one during the special session. And he does not want one next year," i Bash ur sitick.,:13.11.1tMhetibge clear • ilia ;Criodibena inuttiii;statT have dramatically changed during the last six month.t." Still, Bashur said, "Texans know the difference. between Mark White and Bill-Clecte5tsen.thg tit1r isttit:-:- "garli White has proposed, sup- ported or signed IC& law a tax in- crease every year he has been gov- ernor," Bashur asserted. "Bill Clements did not allow a tax in- crease he first term. And he will do , all he can to prevent one in a sec- ond term." In 1984, White pushed through the Legislature a three-year, 54.6 billion tax bill, earmarked largely for education and highways. And in 1985, he signed into law a new telecommuncations tax and ap- proved substantial increases in uni- versity tuition and numerous other fees. In this summer's special legisla- tion, which he called to address the widening gap in the state's 537.2 bil- lion biennial budget, White is i„;- ing a temporary, one-year increase in the state sales tax from 4.125 cents to 5.25 anti on the dollar. And he has successfully sought the support of number of the state's business leaders, including former Gov. John B. Connally, a Republi- can and a real estate developer. But Clements said he was unim- pressed, predicting White's cadre of big-name business supporters would have little effect on the Leg- islature, particularly in the House, where Speaker Gib Lewis, D-Fort Lewis, is adamantly opposed to any new taxes. 'S I I 7 "I don't think the votes are in the House for a tax bill,” Clements asserted, adding he was "surprised and disappointed" that Connally had endorsed White's latest tax pro- gram. "I've known John an awful long time — I guess 40 years. We've done an awful lot of things together," Clements said. "And I really thought he would probably call and talk to me about it, if that was what he wanted to do — and he didn't. "I am not impressed with what I would call businessmen-statesmen — very successful people who talk in terms of what we need is more taxes," Clements continued. "I'm not impressed with that be- cause I happen to have been travel- ing this state from one end to the other for almost a year now.. . . I've talked to literally tens of thousands of Texans, and I can honestly tell you I don't know any Texans out there at the grass-roots level who want new taxes. "They tell me this is not the time, or the circumstances, for Texas to raise taxes." ..:Tuition status basis of suit :against TSU fP°oriign sLje:ritsi rifiltriC a H. TwelveoU T O N -lawsuit in Houston federal court Friday claiming that Texas South- ern University is discriminating against them by forcing them to pay out-of-state tuition. The students, all permanent res- ident aliens from Africa or the Middle East, said they paid in- state tuition until TSU reclassified them as out-of-state students in the fall of 1985. TSU's new policy has affected very few U.S. citizens, the suit contended, and discriminates against non-white foreign stu- dents. The suit, filed as a class action, asked that the plaintiffs be reclas- sified as in-state students and that TSU's policy be declared unconsti- tutional. Houston attorney Bruce Coane, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs, said that some of the students will not be able to regis- ter for the fall semester next week If they are forced to pay out-of- state tuition.
