September 27, 2006
Contact: Schorr Johnson, (919) 821-2777, ext. 216
NC Republicans in the Do-Nothing Republican Congress Refuse to Extend Middle Class Tax Cuts
NC Democrats Lowered Taxes for Working Families
Raleigh–The cost of living may be going up for middle class families in North Carolina, but that’s not stopping North Carolina Republicans in the Do-Nothing Congress from blocking Democratic efforts to extend critical middle class tax cuts. In the past two weeks alone, Democrats in the Senate have tried to extend a range of tax benefits that include the college tuition tax deduction, the state and local sales tax deduction, and the Research and Development (R&D) tax credit. The Bush Republicans in the Do-Nothing Congress blocked them each time.
While the average cost of a college education has soared by 44 percent during the Bush Administration, Senate Republicans like Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr are raising taxes on 3.6 million Americans, including 90,237 in North Carolina, by blocking Democratic efforts to extend the college tuition tax deduction. By refusing to extend a tax provision that allows teachers to deduct out of pocket expenses, the Bush Republicans in the Senate are raising taxes on 3.3 million teachers-including 97,654 in North Carolina.
In the House, Democrats have fought to increase the child tax credit to $1,100, to provide more tax relief through marriage penalty relief and the 10 percent rate cut, and to exempt all middle-income families from the Alternative Minimum Tax. [H.R. 4359, Vote 208, 5/20/04; H.R. 4275, 5/13/04; H.R. 4181, 4/28/04; H.R. 4227, 5/5/04] Representatives Charles Taylor, Robin Hayes, Sue Myrick, Walter Jones, and Howard Coble all voted against this tax relief. Democrats have tried to lower health care costs for small businesses through a 50 percent tax credit to help small businesses and the self-employed buy health care coverage. [H.R. 2073] House Republicans have refused to act on these critical middle class tax cuts.
“Bush Republicans and the rest of the Republican Do-Nothing Congress are all talk, but no action when it comes to cutting taxes for middle class families,” said North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Jerry Meek. “While Democrats have fought to extend middle class tax cuts that would protect the economic security of teachers, homeowners and parents, Republicans like Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr have consistently blocked those efforts.”
“Republicans want to run North Carolina like they’re running Washington. In our state, Democrats passed a budget that lowered the income tax rate and sales tax rate to benefit working families. And, unlike the big spenders in Washington, North Carolina Democrats balanced the budget. Guess who were the only legislators to oppose it? Republicans.”
Democratic Policy Committee report:
http://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/dpc-printable.cfm?doc_name=fs-109-2-140
From CNN:
