House-Senate panel set to approve extension of valuable legislation John Kerry voted against
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bi-partisan conference committee negotiators yesterday approved extending President Bush’s middle class tax cuts and predicted swift passage in both chambers of Congress. The measure, dubbed the All American Tax Relief Act of 2003, will extend tremendous tax savings for working and middle class families and is a central piece of Bush’s economic plan. John Kerry opposed these same tax cuts when they were originally passed and his economic platform leaves little room for them in the future.
“President Bush is leading a common sense effort in Congress to provide crucial middle class tax relief,” said ATR President Grover Norquist. “John Kerry has repeatedly opposed this tax relief will take it away if elected president.”
The All American Tax Relief Act will ensure existing tax cuts do not expire at the end of the year, including the per child tax credit at $1,000 per year, the expanded 10 percent tax rate that lowers tax bills for virtually all taxpayers, and marriage penalty relief. In addition, the measure extends for one year relief from the alternative minimum tax, which was intended to make sure that wealthy Americans did not escape paying taxes but is starting to ensnare increasing ranks of middle income earners.
Conversely, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry has consistently voted against middle class tax relief. On the campaign trail he says he would vote to extend these measures. However, he has spent his entire career voting against the same measures which will be extended. In fact, he voted against President Bush’s tax relief bills in 2001 and 2003, which include all of these provisions. In total, he voted against marriage penalty relief 22 times and against expanding the child tax credit 18 times.
Kerry’s campaign platform includes over $200 billion in new spending programs which he says he would pay for his by repealing President Bush’s tax cuts for “wealthy” Americans, but has promised to implement a PAYGO system, under which new spending would have to be paid for with tax increases. According to estimates, re-taxing Americans highest earners would yield only $60 billion per year. Kerry’s PAYGO rule would leave no room the current middle class relief and mandate a broad tax hike
to cover his new expenditures.
“John Kerry voted against middle class tax relief and now wants to undo it in favor of costly new spending,” continued Norquist. “President Bush’s tax cuts must be made permanent and protected from big government liberals like John Kerry.”