Obamacare Tanning Tax Reaches One Year Mark
Today marks the one year anniversary of the implementation of the Obamacare indoor tanning tax. The punitive 10 percent tax was among the first of twenty-one Obamacare tax hikes to take effect, and is just one of the seven Obamacare tax hikes that break President Obama’s “firm pledge” that no family making less than $250,000 per year would see “any form of tax increase.”
Taken together, the full slate of Obamacare tax hikes constitute one of the largest tax increases in American history – more than $500 billion over ten years. On April 14, the first of these tax hikes was repealed: The 1099 small business paperwork tax. This Obamacare tax would have required every business in America to issue a “1099” tax form to every office supply store, gas station, restaurant, etc. from which they bought at least $600 in goods and services throughout the year.
Congressman Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) have introduced legislation to repeal the indoor tanning tax (H.R. 2092 and S. 1298, respectively).
Below is the full list of Obamacare tax hikes, their implementation dates, and page numbers in the legislation where the tax hikes can be found:
(REPEALED) 1. Corporate 1099-MISC Information Reporting (Tax hike of $17.1 bil/takes effect Jan. 2012): Requires businesses to send 1099-MISC information tax forms to corporations (currently limited to individuals), a huge compliance burden for small employers. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,960-1,961
2. Individual Mandate Excise Tax (takes effect in Jan 2014): Starting in 2014, anyone not buying “qualifying” health insurance must pay an income surtax according to the higher of the following
|
|
1 Adult |
2 Adults |
3+ Adults |
|
2014 |
1% AGI/$95 |
1% AGI/$190 |
1% AGI/$285 |
|
2015 |
2% AGI/$325 |
2% AGI/$650 |
2% AGI/$975 |
|
2016 + |
2.5% AGI/$695 |
2.5% AGI/$1390 |
2.5% AGI/$2085 |
Exemptions for religious objectors, undocumented immigrants, prisoners, those earning less than the poverty line, members of Indian tribes, and hardship cases (determined by HHS). Bill: PPACA; Page: 317-337
3. Employer Mandate Tax (takes effect Jan. 2014): If an employer does not offer health coverage, and at least one employee qualifies for a health tax credit, the employer must pay an additional non-deductible tax of $2000 for all full-time employees. Applies to all employers with 50 or more employees. If any employee actually receives coverage through the exchange, the penalty on the employer for that employee rises to $3000. If the employer requires a waiting period to enroll in coverage of 30-60 days, there is a $400 tax per employee ($600 if the period is 60 days or longer). Bill: PPACA; Page: 345-346
Combined score of individual and employer mandate tax penalty: $65 billion/10 years
4. Surtax on Investment Income (Tax hike of $123 billion/takes effect Jan. 2013): Creation of a new, 3.8 percent surtax on investment income earned in households making at least $250,000 ($200,000 single). This would result in the following top tax rates on investment income: Bill: Reconciliation Act; Page: 87-93
|
|
Capital Gains |
Dividends |
Other* |
|
2011-2012 |
15% |
15% |
35% |
|
2013+ (current law) |
23.8% |
43.4% |
43.4% |
|
2013+ (Obama budget) |
23.8% |
23.8% |
43.4% |
*Other unearned income includes (for surtax purposes) gross income from interest, annuities, royalties, net rents, and passive income in partnerships and Subchapter-S corporations. It does not include municipal bond interest or life insurance proceeds, since those do not add to gross income. It does not include active trade or business income, fair market value sales of ownership in pass-through entities, or distributions from retirement plans. The 3.8% surtax does not apply to non-resident aliens.
5. Excise Tax on Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans (Tax hike of $32 bil/takes effect Jan. 2018): Starting in 2018, new 40 percent excise tax on “Cadillac” health insurance plans ($10,200 single/$27,500 family). Higher threshold ($11,500 single/$29,450 family) for early retirees and high-risk professions. CPI +1 percentage point indexed. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,941-1,956
6. Hike in Medicare Payroll Tax (Tax hike of $86.8 bil/takes effect Jan. 2013): Current law and changes:
|
|
First $200,000 |
All Remaining Wages |
|
Current Law |
1.45%/1.45% |
1.45%/1.45% |
|
Obamacare Tax Hike |
1.45%/1.45% |
1.45%/2.35% |
Bill: PPACA, Reconciliation Act; Page: 2000-2003; 87-93
7. Medicine Cabinet Tax (Tax hike of $5 bil/took effect Jan. 2011): Americans no longer able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pre-tax dollars to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin). Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,957-1,959
8. HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike (Tax hike of $1.4 bil/took effect Jan. 2011): Increases additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from an HSA from 10 to 20 percent, disadvantaging them relative to IRAs and other tax-advantaged accounts, which remain at 10 percent. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,959
9. Flexible Spending Account Cap – aka “Special Needs Kids Tax” (Tax hike of $13 bil/takes effect Jan. 2013): Imposes cap on FSAs of $2500 (now unlimited). Indexed to inflation after 2013. There is one group of FSA owners for whom this new cap will be particularly cruel and onerous: parents of special needs children. There are thousands of families with special needs children in the United States, and many of them use FSAs to pay for special needs education. Tuition rates at one leading school that teaches special needs children in Washington, D.C. (National Child Research Center) can easily exceed $14,000 per year. Under tax rules, FSA dollars can be used to pay for this type of special needs education. Bill: PPACA; Page: 2,388-2,389
10. Tax on Medical Device Manufacturers (Tax hike of $20 bil/takes effect Jan. 2013): Medical device manufacturers employ 360,000 people in 6000 plants across the country. This law imposes a new 2.3% excise tax. Exempts items retailing for <$100. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,980-1,986
11. Raise "Haircut" for Medical Itemized Deduction from 7.5% to 10% of AGI (Tax hike of $15.2 bil/takes effect Jan. 2013): Currently, those facing high medical expenses are allowed a deduction for medical expenses to the extent that those expenses exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI). The new provision imposes a threshold of 10 percent of AGI. Waived for 65+ taxpayers in 2013-2016 only. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,994-1,995
12. Tax on Indoor Tanning Services (Tax hike of $2.7 billion/took effect July 2010): New 10 percent excise tax on Americans using indoor tanning salons. Bill: PPACA; Page: 2,397-2,399
13. Elimination of tax deduction for employer-provided retirement Rx drug coverage in coordination with Medicare Part D (Tax hike of $4.5 bil/takes effect Jan. 2013) Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,994
14. Blue Cross/Blue Shield Tax Hike (Tax hike of $0.4 bil/took effect Jan. 1 2010): The special tax deduction in current law for Blue Cross/Blue Shield companies would only be allowed if 85 percent or more of premium revenues are spent on clinical services. Bill: PPACA; Page: 2,004
15. Excise Tax on Charitable Hospitals (Min$/took effect immediately): $50,000 per hospital if they fail to meet new "community health assessment needs," "financial assistance," and "billing and collection" rules set by HHS. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,961-1,971
16. Tax on Innovator Drug Companies (Tax hike of $22.2 bil/took effect Jan. 2010): $2.3 billion annual tax on the industry imposed relative to share of sales made that year. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,971-1,980
17. Tax on Health Insurers (Tax hike of $60.1 bil/takes effect Jan. 2014): Annual tax on the industry imposed relative to health insurance premiums collected that year. Phases in gradually until 2018. Fully-imposed on firms with $50 million in profits. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,986-1,993
18. $500,000 Annual Executive Compensation Limit for Health Insurance Executives (Tax hike of $0.6 bil/takes effect Jan 2013). Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,995-2,000
19. Employer Reporting of Insurance on W-2 ($min/takes effect Jan. 2012): Preamble to taxing health benefits on individual tax returns. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,957
20. “Black liquor” tax hike (Tax hike of $23.6 billion/took effect immediately). This is a tax increase on a type of bio-fuel. Bill: Reconciliation Act; Page: 105
21. Codification of the “economic substance doctrine” (Tax hike of $4.5 billion/took effect immediately). This provision allows the IRS to disallow completely-legal tax deductions and other legal tax-minimizing plans just because the IRS deems that the action lacks “substance” and is merely intended to reduce taxes owed. Bill: Reconciliation Act; Page: 108-113
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Fate of Obamacare’s Individual Mandate Tax Hangs in Balance
Kindly urge Sen. Rand Paul to vote YES on Graham-Cassidy to abolish Obamacare's mandate tax.
Twitter: @randpaul
Bowling Green, KY Office: 270-782-8303
Washington, DC Office: 202-224-4343
The Graham-Cassidy bill repeals Obamacare’s individual mandate tax. The tax hits 6.7 million American households. 79% of these households have incomes of less than $50,000 per year. A new state-by-state breakdown compiled by the office of Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) using official IRS data for tax year 2015 can be found here.
The fate of the tax depends on the votes of the senators from key states below:
ALASKA
- If Sen. Lisa Murkowski votes YES on Graham-Cassidy 19,970 Alaska households will no longer be stuck paying Obamacare’s individual mandate tax.
- In 2015, these households had to pay the IRS $12,836,000 for choosing not to purchase Obamacare, an average tax of $644 per household
- 64% of Alaska households paying this tax make less than $50,000 per year.
- If Sen. Murkowski votes NO, Alaskans will be forced to pay Obamacare’s individual mandate tax simply for choosing not to purchase Obamacare.
MAINE
- If Sen. Susan Collins votes YES on Graham-Cassidy 34,030 Maine households will no longer be stuck paying Obamacare’s individual mandate tax.
- In 2015, these households had to pay the IRS $15,490,000 for choosing not to purchase Obamacare, an average tax of $455 per household.
- 79% of Maine households paying this tax make less than $50,000 per year.
- If Sen. Collins votes NO, Mainers will be forced to pay Obamacare’s individual mandate tax simply for choosing not to purchase Obamacare.
ARIZONA
- If Sen. John McCain votes YES on Graham-Cassidy 153,700 Arizona households will no longer be stuck paying Obamacare’s individual mandate tax.
- In 2015, these households had to pay the IRS $69,770,000 for choosing not to purchase Obamacare, an average tax of $454 per household.
- 82% of Arizona households paying this tax make less than $50,000 per year.
- If Sen. McCain votes NO, Arizonans will be forced to pay Obamacare’s individual mandate tax simply for choosing not to purchase Obamacare.
KENTUCKY
- If Sen. Rand Paul votes YES on Graham-Cassidy 79,260 Kentucky households will no longer be stuck paying Obamacare’s individual mandate tax.
- In 2015, these households had to pay the IRS $31,262,000 for choosing not to purchase Obamacare, an average tax of $394 per household.
- 83% of Kentucky households paying this tax make less than $50,000 per year.
- If Sen. Paul votes NO, Kentuckians will be forced to pay Obamacare’s individual mandate tax simply for choosing not to purchase Obamacare.
INDIANA
- If Sen. Joe Donnelly votes YES on Graham-Cassidy 138,170 Indiana households will no longer be stuck paying Obamacare’s individual mandate tax.
- In 2015, these households had to pay the IRS $59,463,000 for choosing not to purchase Obamacare, an average tax of $430 per household.
- 81% of Indiana households paying this tax make less than $50,000 per year.
- If Sen. Donnelly votes NO, Indianans will be forced to pay Obamacare’s individual mandate tax simply for choosing not to purchase Obamacare.
MISSOURI
- If Sen. Claire McCaskill votes YES on Graham-Cassidy 116,580 Missouri households will no longer be stuck paying Obamacare’s individual mandate tax.
- In 2015, these households had to pay the IRS $50,016,000 for choosing not to purchase Obamacare, an average tax of $429 per household.
- 81% of Missouri households paying this tax make less than $50,000 per year.
- If Sen. McCaskill votes NO, Missourians will be forced to pay Obamacare’s individual mandate tax simply for choosing not to purchase Obamacare.
MONTANA
- If Sen. Jon Tester votes YES on Graham-Cassidy 29,450 Montana households will no longer be stuck paying Obamacare’s individual mandate tax.
- In 2015, these households had to pay the IRS $14,341,000 for choosing not to purchase Obamacare, an average tax of $487 per household.
- 75% of Montana households paying this tax make less than $50,000 per year.
- If Sen. Tester votes NO, Montanans will be forced to pay Obamacare’s individual mandate tax simply for choosing not to purchase Obamacare.
NORTH DAKOTA
- If Sen. Heidi Heitkamp votes YES on Graham-Cassidy 17,170 North Dakota households will no longer be stuck paying Obamacare’s individual mandate tax.
- In 2015, these households had to pay the IRS $7,826,000 for choosing not to purchase Obamacare, an average tax of $456 per household.
- 77% of North Dakota households paying this tax make less than $50,000 per year.
- If Sen. Heitkamp votes NO, North Dakotans will be forced to pay Obamacare’s individual mandate tax simply for choosing not to purchase Obamacare.
WEST VIRGINIA
- If Sen. Joe Manchin votes YES on Graham-Cassidy 34,360 households will no longer be stuck paying Obamacare’s individual mandate tax.
- In 2015, these households had to pay the IRS $14,680,000 for choosing not to purchase Obamacare, an average tax of $427 per household.
- 81% of West Virginia households paying this tax make less than $50,000 per year.
- If Sen. Manchin votes NO, West Virginians will be forced to pay Obamacare’s individual mandate tax simply for choosing not to purchase Obamacare.
The individual mandate tax is one of many Obamacare taxes that violate Obama’s “firm pledge” not to raise any form of tax on any American making less than $250,000 per year. Documentation of Obama’s shattered promise can be found here. Senators voting NO on Graham-Cassidy are voting to continue to stick their constituents with this tax.
Please visit the website of the office of Sen. Daines to get a handy PDF of the state by state IRS Obamacare tax data. Call your Senators and urge them to vote YES on Graham-Cassidy.
Photo Credit: Pictures of Money
More from Americans for Tax Reform
EU Tax Harmonization Opposes The Free Market
The European Union (EU) has recently revived plans for corporate tax harmonization. Such a plan will establish a uniform corporate tax rate across all its member nations. Currently, EU member nations set their own corporate tax rates, resulting in rates ranging from 10% in Bulgaria to as high as 35% in Malta. The ability for a nation to control their corporate tax rate allows for tax competition between nations. In today’s economy, capital is highly mobile. Multinational corporations can move their headquarters to low-tax jurisdictions from high-tax ones. Countries with low tax rates compared to their neighbors are at a comparative advantage in their ability to attract investment and jobs.
By harmonizing corporate tax rates across the EU, this competition, a pillar upon which the free market is built, is destroyed. Any sort of tax harmonization enacted will be toward the higher end of the tax spectrum. This will allow high-tax nations such as France to no longer lose companies and investment to lower taxed nations such as Ireland. Tax harmonization will limit the ability of people and corporations to move at will, as it reduces economic incentives through a supranational approach.
The push for higher corporate taxation in the EU comes at a time when the United States is headed in the opposite direction. President Trump has proposed slashing the United States’ 35% corporate tax rate (the highest in the developed world) to 15%. This aims to attract more investment to the U.S., as well as stop the flow of companies relocating their headquarters abroad in order to pay lower rates. The trend in recent decades has been for developed nations to cut their corporate rates in favor of lower, more pro-growth rates; a sign that tax competition works in promoting nations to lower corporate taxes in order to attract more business.
Taxes are the price a company pays for doing business. Just as two restaurants may compete over who can offer the better deal, so too should countries be able to compete using their tax codes. As Contribuables founder Alain Dumait said: “the very freedom of individuals depends on competition. Including in the tax sector.”
Photo Credit: Rock Cohen
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Grover Rallies Conservatives in Colorado to Stop New Obamacare Taxes
ATR President Grover Norquist spent yesterday rallying Conservatives in Colorado to contact their representatives to urge repeal of all Obamacare taxes.
Grover spoke at Politics on the Rocks, a regular gathering of conservative professionals and activists, to explain how abolishing Obamacare’s taxes - especially the Individual and Employer Mandates, Health Insurance Tax, Medical Device Tax - would provide much-needed relief to the paychecks of families across the country and reduce healthcare costs for everyone.
Grover also appeared in studio for the Dan Clapis Show, a Colorado-based radio show, to discuss healthcare reform and taxes. During the interview, Grover explained that Obamacare’s taxes have already driven costs up and reduced choice. While the effort to pass the Graham-Cassidy healthcare reform legislation is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, it is also important that all of Obamacare’s taxes are addressed.
Listen to the full interview here.
Obamacare, from the start, was a trillion-dollar collection of tax hikes with a stethoscope stapled to the top. While passing the Graham-Cassidy bill would be an improvement over the status quo of Obamacare, it is also important that the taxes that the bill does not touch are repealed.
Photo Credit: Miriam Roff
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Open Competition Laws Can Save American Taxpayers Billions on Infrastructure
Funding for state infrastructure improvement projects has increasingly become a point of contention in the last decade. With state and local lawmakers examining new sources of revenue, tax increases are often pinned as the solution. Yet increasing taxes ignores more efficient legislative solutions that could free up billions in funding, such as implementing “Open Competition” laws. Currently, outdated “Closed Competition” laws are wasting taxpayer dollars, promoting cronyism, and whittling out American firms from the procurement process.
State and local governments throughout the country are imposing these anti-competitive practices – most notably in regards to materials used in water infrastructure projects. Certain products and materials, often proven to be safer and more affordable, are unfairly outlawed from being used in publicly funded projects.
Many closed competition laws were put in place decades before new and advanced materials existed, or were put in place for protectionist reasons. As a result, American taxpayers have been deprived of savings that result from competition in the procurement process by governments eager to pick winners and losers.
Cities in Arkansas, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio have all significantly saved taxpayer dollars since implementing open competition laws. Fayetteville, Arkansas implemented open competition laws and saved taxpayers $278,625 per mile on water infrastructure piping compared to Hot Springs, which has closed competition laws in place.
Similarly, Charlotte North Carolina implemented open competition laws resulting in taxpayer savings of $155, 902 per mile of pipe compared to closed competition Raleigh. All told open competition cities see on average taxpayer savings of $100,000 or more per mile of pipe compared to closed competition cities, and that is just with regard to water infrastructure.
Opponents of open competition naturally are the protected interests white-knuckling their 100 year-old monopolies that see competition as a threat to the status quo. Yet it is the status quo that is driving up the cost of infrastructure projects for state and local taxpayers and pushing lawmakers to turn to big government solutions such as increasing the gas tax.
Additionally, open competition laws could also be beneficial at the federal level. A study released by the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) found that an entire replacement of U.S. water infrastructure would cost $1.32 trillion. Transitioning to an open competition process would reduce that number by 28% or $371 billion.
As these taxpayer savings relate only to water infrastructure projects, the savings to taxpayers from a wider application of open competition laws to the government infrastructure procurement process could be even greater. In addition to states, Congressional lawmakers should look to introduce federal legislation that allows for an open and competitive procurement process for construction materials.
In May of this year, Americans for Tax Reform, joined by 23 other organizations, led a coalition letter to Congress requesting that any federal infrastructure legislation should include language that clearly requires an open and competitive bidding process for materials that will be used in infrastructure projects.
In the coming year as state and federal lawmakers begin looking for ways to shore up spending on infrastructure projects, passing legislation to implement open competition laws should be an obvious free-market solution. Doing so would provide lawmakers a chance to be efficient stewards of taxpayer dollars, prevent misguided tax hikes, and improve America’s infrastructure.
Photo Credit: Jenny Tabrum
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Dem Governor Candidate Rips Up Tax Pledge
Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Jay Gonzalez (D) is ready to raise taxes. Residents of Massachusetts, consider yourself warned.
Gonzales posted a video to Facebook this week after receiving a copy of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The Pledge, which ATR offers to every candidate and incumbent for state and federal office, is a written promise to a lawmaker’s constituents detailing their commitment to oppose all tax increases.
In his brief video, Gonzalez criticizes Grover Norquist, President and founder of ATR, for his resolution to limit government. After admitting that Massachusetts is “the most expensive state in the nation”, Mr. Gonzales affirmed his support for a tax increase.
“So Grover, here’s what I say to your Taxpayer Protection Pledge” said Mr. Gonzalez as he proceeded to rip up the printed document at the end of the video.
In a tweet, Norquist replied: “You are a Democrat running for Governor and you are promising to increases taxes yet again on the Bay state. Boring. Been there. Did that.”
You are a Democrat running for Governor and you are promising to increase taxes yet again on the Bay state.
Boring. Been there. Did that. https://t.co/ciJRXsIvDn
— Grover Norquist (@GroverNorquist) September 20, 2017
Nearly 1,400 incumbent elected officials, from state representative to governor to U.S. Senator, have signed the Pledge to their constituents.
Gonzalez is expected to run against the Republican incumbent, Gov. Charlie Baker.
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Bernie Calls For 52% Tax Rate for Government Healthcare
Sen. Bernie Sanders is once again calling for extreme tax hikes to pay for his plans, this time for a government-run single payer health care system. The plan will come in at a cost of $1.38 trillion per year and will impose across the board tax hikes, including:
-An income tax rate of 52%
-Taxing ALL capital gains as ordinary income, meaning the current top capital gains rate of 23.8% would jump to 52%
-Massive hike in the Death Tax
-American families making as little as $28,900 per year will face a 2.2 percent tax on their income
-A $630 billion tax hike aimed at employers, which will just end up hitting workers
-Sanders also calls for more tax complexity and more tax brackets: 37%, 43%, 48% and of course the 52%
ATR commends Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) for asking CBO to score the Sanders plan. As with most left wing programs, the Sanders plan will undoubtedly cost much more than he claims.
Photo Credit: "Bernie Sanders" by Scott Pelkey ScottP-Photography/Flickr, Under CC BY-SA 2.0
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Watchdog Report Shows Tennessee Misused $100K in Asset Forfeiture Funds on Catering
The Tennessee Department of Safety wrongly paid for food totaling over $110K with funds collected through civil asset forfeiture, the Inspector General reported last Thursday.
Passed in 1984, the Comprehensive Crime Control Act established the Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Program (AFP) which allows law enforcement to seize assets from individuals suspected with involvement in illegal activity, even if there are no formal charges.
Under the AFP, the Equitable Sharing Program was established allowing state and local law enforcement agencies involved in federal crime crackdown efforts to claim a portion of any seized money and property. This allows local police forces to ignore state property protections in favor of lower federal standards
While civil asset forfeiture comes under greater scrutiny in recent years, there are some limits set on the scope in which seized funds can be spent on, barring agencies from purchasing bayonets, grenade launchers, food, and other extravagant expenses.
Between 2014 and 2016 Tennessee’s Department of Safety spent $112,614 of seized cash on catering, banquet tickets, and retail food purchases, a clear violation of the limits established by the Department of Justice.
When the Inspector General presented this finding to the department its Controller said “that he did not know these expenditures were unallowable”.
Beyond that, the agency further neglected to adhere to DOJ rules, failing to file receipts of requested funds, and even filed their FY 2014 report 19 days late.
It’s clear that DOJ efforts to reign in and prevent abuse of the Equitable Sharing Program have failed, and the problem lies in the fundamental flaws surrounding the Asset Forfeiture Program as a whole where due process and presumption of innocence are blatantly ignored in favor of big-government draconian policies.
These developments are just another example of countless abuses resulting from the program. The men and women of law enforcement are entrusted with enforcing the rule of law, yet civil asset forfeiture undermines their ability to do so by taking advantage of the communities they are sworn to protect. In an age of great divisiveness, the last thing our police need is greater scrutiny and condemnation due this government program that only furthers the polarization and makes their jobs harder.
This leaves it upon state legislatures and the federal government to end civil asset forfeiture as a practice so that innocent Americans should no longer have to fear that their property will be taken away without due process.
The full report can be found here: Audit of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Equitable Sharing Program Activities Nashville, Tennessee
Photo Credit: Michael Galkovsky
Bipartisan Lawmakers Introduce the Protecting the American Process for Election Results Act
On Friday, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist wrote to Rep. Mark Meadows (N.C.) and Rep. James Langevin (R.I) expressing his support for their bill, HR 3751, the Protecting the American Process for Election Results (PAPER) Act. If enacted, the PAPER Act would take the necessary steps to secure and strengthen the nation’s election security system.
In an age of heightened security risks from nations like North Korea and Iran trying to disrupt our nation’s elections, this bill is the first step in ensuring that American voters exercise their right without interference from those hoping to undermine our democratic institutions. Our representational democracy is built upon a reliable election process, and this must be safeguarded at all costs.
In a press release on the bill, Rep. Meadows said, “the PAPER Act would be a major step forward in securing our election process, updating the security of our voter logs, and allowing for efficient and effective audits of election results”.
Mr. Norquist urges all of Rep. Meadows’ and Rep. Langevin’s colleagues to “support this important common-sense measure”.
The full letter can be found here.
Photo Credit: Michael R.
88 Conservative Groups Urge Passage of Pro-Growth Tax Reform in 2017
Congress must pass pro-growth tax reform in 2017, a coalition of 88 conservative groups and activists led by Americans for Tax Reform and Americans for Prosperity today wrote in a letter to leaders in the White House, House, and Senate.
As the letter notes, the tax code today serves well-connected special interests, rather than hard working American families. Americans are frustrated with this rigged system, and it is imperative that lawmakers ensure that comprehensive, pro-growth tax reform is signed into law this year.
The full letter can be found here and is below:
Dear Speaker Ryan, Leader McConnell, Secretary Mnuchin, Director Cohn, Chairman Hatch, and Chairman Brady:
On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write to urge passage of comprehensive, pro-growth tax reform in 2017.
In the past 30 years, the tax code has expanded in size and complexity. Today, the code serves well-connected special interests, not hard working American families. After many years of inaction, Congress and the administration have a chance to fix our broken tax system this year by making it fairer, simpler, and less burdensome.
There is broad consensus on the need for tax reform. With the 2018 midterm elections in sight, it is also crucial that bold policies keeping the promises made to the American people are realized soon.
Numerous polls have shown widespread public support for tax reform that lowers rates for all and reforms the code based on the principles of simplicity, fairness, and equity. Americans are frustrated with the rigged system that favors the politically connected and lobbyists at the expense of ordinary Americans.
It is key that tax reform reduce rates for Americans across the board, drastically simplifies the code for families and individuals, ends the Death Tax, unrigs the system to promote a healthy economy, and implements a territorial system of taxation so businesses large and small can compete.
2017 represents an important opportunity to provide financial security to hardworking taxpayers by signing tax reform into law. We applaud the work that each of you have already taken to ensure tax reform is enacted in 2017 and stand ready to continue working with you in the second half of the year.
Sincerely,
Grover Norquist
President, Americans for Tax Reform
Christine Harbin
Vice President of External Affairs, Americans for Prosperity
James L. Martin
Founder & Chairman, 60 Plus Association
Dan Greenberg
President, Advance Arkansas Institute
Phil Kerpen
President, American Commitment
Daniel Schneider
Executive Director, American Conservative Union
Steve Pociask
President, American Consumer Institute
Tim Doyle
Vice President of Policy & General Counsel, American Council for Capital Formation
Sean Noble
President, American Encore
Lisa B. Nelson
CEO, American Legislative Exchange Council
Ashley N. Varner
Executive Director, ALEC Action
Mark J. Fitzgibbons
President of Corporate Affairs, American Target Advertising, Inc.
Kevin Waterman
Chair, Annapolis Center Right Coalition Meeting (Maryland)
Scot Mussi
President, Arizona Free Enterprise Club
Dan Weber
President, Association of Mature American Citizens
Lindsay Boyd
Policy Director, Beacon Center of Tennessee
Robert Alt
President and CEO, The Buckeye Institute (Ohio)
Garrett Ballengee
Executive Director, Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Public Policy
Bob Carlstrom
President, The Carlstrom Group
Steve Buckstein
Founder, Cascade Policy Institute (Oregon)
Kent Lassman
President, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Jeffrey Mazella
President, Center for Individual Freedom
Andrew F. Quinlan
President, Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Peter Nelson
Vice President, Center of the American Experiment (Minnesota)
Chip Faulkner
Associate Director, Citizens for Limited Taxation (Massachusetts)
Chuck Muth
President, Citizen Outreach (Nevada)
Ralph Benko
Conservative Columnist
Matthew Kandrach
President, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy
Thomas Schatz
President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Edward King
President, Defense Priorities Initiative
Katie McAuliffe
Executive Director, Digital Liberty
Craig Richardson
President, E&E Action
Robert Roper
President, Ethan Allen Institute (Vermont)
Timothy Head
Executive Director, Faith & Freedom Coalition
Palmer Schoening
President, Family Business Coalition
Richard Watson
Chairman, Florida Center Right Coalition
Annette Meeks
CEO, Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Nathan Nascimento
Vice President of Policy, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce
Adam Brandon
President, FreedomWorks
David Barnes
Policy Director, Generation Opportunity
Kelly McCutchen
President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Rodolfo E. Milani
Trustee, HACER (Hispanic American Center for Economic Research)
Joseph Bast
CEO, The Heartland Institute
Mario H. Lopez
President, Hispanic Leadership Fund
William A. Estrada, Esq.
Director of Federal Relations, Home School Legal Defense Association
Wayne Hoffman
President, Idaho Freedom Foundation
Jon Caldara
President, Independence Institute (Colorado)
Heather R. Higgins
President and CEO, Independent Women's Voice
Tom Giovanetti
President, Institute for Policy Innovation
Sal J. Nuzzo
Vice President of Policy, The James Madison Institute (Florida)
Kory Swanson
President & CEO, John Locke Foundation (North Carolina)
Dave Trabert
President, Kansas Policy Institute
Nancy Misasi
President, Lakeland Tea Party of Greater Wanaque Area (New Jersey)
John Tomicki
Executive Director, League of American Families
Seton Motley
President, Less Government
Colin A. Hanna
President, Let Freedom Ring
Daniel Garza
Executive Director, The LIBRE Initiative
Brett Healy
President, The MacIver Institute (Wisconsin)
Michael LaFaive
Senior Director of Fiscal Policy, Mackinac Center for Public Policy (Michigan)
Carl Copeland
Executive Director, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance
Mary Adams
Chair, Maine Center-right Coalition Meeting
Pem & Ruth Schaeffer
Maine Conservative Activists
Tom Davis
Maine Conservative Activist
Victoria Bucklin
Maine Conservative Activist
Henry Kriegel
President, Montanans for Tax Reform
Tim Jones
Former Speaker, Missouri House of Representatives
State Chair, Missouri Center-Right Coalition
Harry C. Alford
President/CEO, National Black Chamber of Commerce
Brandon Arnold
Executive Vice President, National Taxpayers Union
The Honorable William O'Brien
Former Speaker, New Hampshire House of Representatives
Co-chair, New Hampshire Center Right Coalition
Grant Malloy
Chair, Orlando Florida Center Right
Jonathan Small
President, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Jeff Kropf
Executive Director, Oregon Capitol Watch
Daniel J. Erspamer
CEO, Pelican Institute for Public Policy (Louisiana)
Lorenzo Montanari
Executive Director, Property Rights Alliance
Don Racheter
President, Public Interest Institute (Iowa)
Charlie Gerow
President, Quantum Communications (Pennsylvania)
Eli Lehrer
President, R Street Institute
Paul Gessing
President, Rio Grande Foundation (New Mexico)
Mike Stenhouse
CEO, Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Bill Whipple
President & Director, Secure America’s Future Economy (SAFE)
Karen Kerrigan
President & CEO, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
David Williams
President, Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Judson Phillips
President, Tea Party Nation
Jenny Beth Martin
Co-Founder & CEO, Tea Party Patriots
Kevin D. Roberts, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, Texas Public Policy Foundation
Mike Thompson
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy (Virginia)
Carl Bearden
Executive Director, United for Missouri
Jonathan Downing
CEO, Wyoming Liberty Group
Hillary ‘fascinated’ by Carbon Tax
In her new book What Happened Hillary Clinton reveals she was “fascinated” by the idea of a carbon tax and a financial transactions tax. She wanted to take the money generated by both taxes, filter it through the Washington D.C. bureaucracy, and then send everyone a check as part of a Universal Basic Income scheme.
The whole process would be “a way of making every American feel more connected to our country and to one another – part of something bigger than ourselves.”
She writes:
If you view the nation’s financial system as a shared resource, then you can start raising real money from things like a financial transactions tax. Same with the air we breathe and carbon pricing. Once you capitalize the fund, you can provide every American with a modest basic income every year. Besides cash in people’s pockets, it would also be a way of making every American feel more connected to our country and to one another – part of something bigger than ourselves.
Clinton said she worked for weeks on the issue:
I was fascinated by this idea, as was my husband, and we spent weeks working with our policy team to see if it could be viable enough to include in my campaign.
Though she found the idea “exciting” and “tantalizing” it was only dropped because she “couldn’t make the numbers work.”
During the campaign, Clinton publicly proposed a series of tax increases, which amounted to a minimum $1 trillion over ten years. She campaigned on a 65% Death Tax, a personal income tax hike, a corporate income tax hike, and an “exit tax.” She also said she would not veto a payroll tax hike on all Americans, and cracked open the door to a carbon tax. Clinton even endorsed a steep new local soda tax in Philadelphia.
The official 2016 Democrat Party platform calls for a carbon tax. The official 2016 Republican Party platform rejects any and all carbon taxes.
In the book, Clinton suggested yet another tax: “taxing net worth.” She describes this tax as a “transformative” idea.
Americans for Tax Reform has documented Clinton’s entire tax hike career, at a dedicated website: www.HighTaxHillary.com
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