President Richard Nixon emphasized the importance of revenue sharing in his attempt to decentralize federal programs. Revenue sharing was a policy that involved giving a portion of federal tax revenues to state and local governments, which they could then use to fund their own programs and services. Nixon saw revenue sharing as a way to give state and local governments more control over their own affairs and to reduce the influence of the federal government over local decision-making. By decentralizing federal programs in this way, Nixon believed that he could promote greater efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of public services.