House Majority Leader Hoyer To Schedule Vote Thursday On Middle Class Tax Cuts

[bigtree]

December 1st, 2010 2:37 PM

Washington (CNN) – On the same day Congressional and White House negotiators met to broker a compromise on how to deal with the Bush-era tax cuts that are expiring at the end of the year, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced that House Democrats would push ahead on a vote Thursday to permanently extend tax breaks just for those making $250,000 a year or less. Republicans argue tax cuts should be extended for everyone, including the wealthy.

Hoyer said the House bill would include permanent extensions of income tax rates for the middle class, plus tax breaks for married couples, the child tax credit, and the earned income tax credit.

The Maryland Democrat insisted that there was common ground between Republicans and Democrats on ensuring there are no tax increases for people making $250,000 or less and cited several polls showing the American public supports this approach. "We have agreement on that. There is not agreement on other aspects of issue, as you all know. But it is a shame that what we have agreement on is being held hostage by that on which we do not have agreement."

Hoyer maintained that moving forward with just a vote on the so-called middle class tax cuts would not interfere with the negotiations on the broader tax cuts, telling reporters Wednesday he spoke with the House Democratic negotiator in the talks, Maryland Democratic Rep Chris Van Hollen. "He and I both agree that this matter moving forward should not undermine negotiations on a compromise," Hoyer said.

Hoyer emphasized that Democrats are following through on a commitment to avoid tax increases on the middle class. Republicans, he said, are the ones who decided in 2001 to let the tax cuts expire this year. "It is an effort to show, as we said before the election, that we were going to make sure the middle income working men and women of America did not have the consequences of the Republican sunset."


read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/01/hoyer-to-allow-vote-thursday-on-middle-class-tax-cuts/

related:

Pence Twice Prioritizes Tax Breaks For Millionaires Over Extending Unemployment Benefits
http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/12/01/pence-millionaires/

[ejpoeta]

1. split it in two. vote on the middle class tax cuts first. THEN

let the damned republicans whine about holding up everything until they get their tax cuts for their buddies.

[T Wolf]

2. Phrasing IS IMPORTANT. Stop saying "for those making over $250,000. They also would continue

receiving the lower rate - only their income above

a quarter million dollars a year


would be taxed at the slightly higher rate.

[bigtree]

3. I don't have Hoyer's full statement

. . . but I don't think the '$250,000' language is part of his quote . . . but you make a good point that's been buried in the debate.

[badtoworse]

4. So? Marginal tax rates have always worked that way...

at least to my knowledge.