Grover Norquist bends on tax issue
The anti-tax advocate is giving Republicans a pass on legislation that would end up raising taxes for those making more than $1 million a year.
Anti-tax stalwart Grover Norquist is squirming a bit, and you can't blame him. After two decades of hammering away on taxes and getting Republicans to fall in line, he's facing inevitable tax increases of some sort.And so Norquist has had somewhat of a change of heart, saying Wednesday that he's OK with House Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" legislation that would raise taxes on people earning at least $1 million a year.
"ATR will not consider a vote for this measure a violation of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge," Norquist's group, Americans for Tax Reform, wrote on its website Wednesday.
Norquist says that Republicans voting for the legislation that would raise taxes on millionaires are actually sticking with the pledge they made to oppose all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rate. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is Norquist's signature effort; he has persuaded nearly all Congressional Republicans to make it.
The issue here is largely semantics. Boehner's Plan B proposal would continue the current tax cuts for all but the wealthiest Americans. Norquist is happy with continued tax breaks. But he doesn't say anything about the other side of the coin here, which is that people making more than $1 million could see their tax rates increase.
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I wish everyone would recognize and acknowledge that taxing the rich only solves an extremely small part of the problem. I fear some people actually believe simply raising the taxes on the rich, somehow, magically solves all our problems. It does not even come close. It barely scratches the surface. The REAL work and REAL leadership (need from both parties) will come from addressing the really tough issues: True spending cuts vs. reducing the growth rate on spending. Spending is out of control. Throwing good money at a bad system (Healthcare, Education, to name of few) is not necessarily the best solution. Neither is doing nothing. Tough decisions need to made, there will be pain and sacrifice required from everyone. True entitlement reform, which will be very tough and require shared sacrifice and looking at different solutions. Need to much more than just raising the eligibility age. Education reform (not simply dumping more money into an already broken system). Healtcare reform, NOT the oxymoronic Affordable Healtcare Act - AKA Obamacare -- that is a trainwreck. Defense cuts and reform are needed. I'm sure there are many more issues I have not mentioned.
Plan B is ok with Norquist, because the only thing nearer to Norquist's heart than his tax agenda is his job. The House Republicans are on the chopping block for the fiscal cliff and America has already sided with the President on the issue - by a landslide. No deal - lose the elections in 2014.
Anyone over 200/250K starting in 12 days will have to pay a 4.7% increase in taxes that was burried in ObamaCare.
Those 1 million earners according to plan B will pay 44.3% marginal tax rate and below that 39.7%.
Obama already got his increase he just wants more and more and more. Time's greedy president of the year award is what Obama deserves.
We go off the "cliff" its his fault since he got what he wants in ObamaCare hidden fees.
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