Taxpayer coalition holds rally, urging Congress to stop obstruction and pass the full tax cut.
WASHINGTON – April 15th rings with a certain dread to every American\’s ears. The taxman cometh.
And to mark the day when Americans must pay their taxes or face the wrath of the IRS, Treasurer of the United States Rosario Marin, economists, financial service professionals, and taxpayer activists from across the country today gathered at the National Press Club, urging lawmakers to pass President Bush\’s FULL Economic Growth and Jobs tax cut package.
"The taxman cometh," said taxpayer advocate Grover Norquist, who heads Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) in Washington, "and he wants too much of the hard-earned money of American taxpayers. Uncle Sam taxes our labor, our food, the nails that hold up our houses, our cars, our electricity, our heat, our telephone bills, our travel, our fuel, our savings — he taxes everything, and then comes back — to take half of what\’s left when we die. That\’s why we Americans have come together on April 15th to say NO! to any new taxes."
On Jan. 7th, President Bush proposed a bold Economic Growth and Jobs tax cut package that accelerates provisions from the 2001 tax cut including income tax rate reductions, abolishes the double taxation of dividends, and allows for increased business expensing for small businesses. According to the Heritage Foundation, the proposal will create 4 million additional jobs by 2007 and increase economic growth by nearly 1 percent in 2004. The Senate version, however, will result in 552,000 less jobs for American families.
"Congress should move forward on three tax fronts this year," continued Norquist. "First, lawmakers must pass the full tax cut package proposed by President Bush. Second, they should pass the Tax Limitation Amendment, which requires a 2/3 majority of lawmakers to push through a tax hike. Finally, they should move to abolish the burdensome alternative minimum tax (AMT) which was designed to \’soak the rich\’ but which ended up soaking everyone with a little spare change in their pockets."
Norquist concluded: "America\’s legacy of free enterprise and low taxes has produced for her people the highest standard of living the world has ever known. We should continue this drive by passing President Bush\’s bold economic growth package and lowering the tax burden of all Americans when and where possible."