By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
In his weekly column U.S. Representative Jo Bonner asks President Obama to come to Alabama to talk to business owners about his intention to raise taxes on Americans who make over $250,000 a year.
Rep. Bonner said, “Last week, the Obama administration said it was prepared to veto legislation Congress passes later this year to prevent automatic across-the-board tax increases in January, unless lawmakers agree with the White House to raise taxes on those making over $250,000. The president has repeatedly justified his punitive tax hike strategy as a way to impose “fairness.” Apparently, Mr. Obama feels the economy is less important than some notion that government should punish America’s job creators because they earn more.”
Congressman Bonner said, “I would invite the president to come down to Alabama to talk first hand with business owners who pay more than their fair share while struggling to eke out a profit during the prolonged economic slump. Whether in Chatom, Brewton or Foley, small business owners are not only staring down the barrel of possible tax hikes come January, but they face growing costly government regulation, not to mention the looming unfunded mandates of Obamacare.”
Rep. Bonner said, “I don’t think folks in the First Congressional District of Alabama are any different from other Americans who realize you don’t raise taxes in a recession.” Bonner said that The accounting firm Ernst and Young has concluded that President Obama’s tax hike will cost 700,000 jobs.
Congressman Mike Rogers (R) from Saks expressed similar views addressing St. Clair County Republicans on Thursday, “After 11 years you would think they would call them tax rates and stop calling them Bush tax cuts.” Rep. Rogers said that the President thinks he can make the House Republicans accept higher rates for Americans making over $200,000 by holding the rest of the nation hostage; but Rep. Rogers said, “We will never raise taxes on people making over $200,000. Those are the job creators.”
Bonner said that the president is touting a 0.3% percent drop in unemployment as an indicator that the President’s policies are working. Rep. Bonner said, “The slight uptick in employment appears to be the result of more Americans settling for part-time jobs rather than gains in full-time employment. This squares with the most recent survey of employer attitudes by The National Federation of Independent Business. It found that small business pessimism actually grew in September. Accordingly, more small businesses surveyed reported decreases in employment than those reporting hiring increases.”
Rep. Bonner said the expiration of the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax rates would be punitive to the economy and that Congress and the President, “Must work together to ensure that our economy is protected.” “If the president is truly interested in “fairness,” he should also work with us to rewrite and simplify the federal tax code.”
According to the Tax Foundation if the Bush tax rates are allowed to expire the average taxpayer in Alabama will pay $1,496 more money to the federal government.
