Bredesen Says He Wants to End Special Interest Tax Breaks, But Supported Them as Governor

Yesterday at an NFIB event, Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen made the claim that he wants “to end special deals for special industries in the tax code”:

This is a bold statement from someone who pushed for a special tax break for the solar energy industry while governor and then utilized them for his own company. As reported by The Tennessean:

“A company set up by former Gov. Phil Bredesen and two senior members of his administration has asked for tax breaks for several projects, tapping a law they helped push through just weeks before the company was founded.”

Bredesen advocated for tax breaks for his failed economic development program called TNInvesco while governor as well. Also, Bredesen personally takes an “agricultural” property tax break on his mansion, despite not using it for agricultural purposes.

It seems like Bredesen’s call to end special interest tax loopholes is just a campaign talking point to win over his base, since his actions don’t back up his words.