Phil Bryant

Since 1996, Phil Bryant has served Mississippi as State Auditor. He was first appointed by Governor Kirk Fordice, and elected to this state-wide position in 1999, and again in 2003. His strong focus on bringing accountability to state government is demonstrated by his determination and his record. To ensure that taxpayers' funds are being used prop... erly by state government, the State Auditor's office has the authority to audit approximately $11 billion of taxpayers' dollars each year. As a result, the State Auditor's Office brings accountability and also serves as a deterrent to public corruption. Through aggressive public corruption investigation efforts, Phil Bryants office has recovered more than $12 million in taxpayers' dollars that were embezzled or improperly spent. Phil has a long history of fighting for conservative beliefs, like lower taxes. Prior to serving as State Auditor, Phil served five years as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives where he was Vice Chairman of the Insurance Committee and authored the Capital Gains Tax Cut Act of 1994. In fact, the last time Mississippi businesses received a reduction of their state taxes was when Phil Bryant wrote the bill and successfully led the fight to end the capital gains tax in Mississippi based corporations. As a freshman legislator, Phil began a five year struggle to end the marriage penalty in Mississippi's tax code. To make government more efficient, Phil has worked tirelessly to expand electronic government capabilities on the local and state levels. Auditor Bryant is a contributing author of two books: 21st Century Government -Digital Promise, Digital Reality and Leadership Secrets of Government Financial Officials. These books are the fourth and fifth volumes of a leadership series with an emphasis on financial management, human resources, technology, and auditing. Phil's persistence in promoting conservative public policy stems from his belief that people know best how to spend their own money, not the government. His consistent ...Read More