Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2008

Floor Speech

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008

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Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, this budget does include $392 million in increased taxes. Unfortunately, this Democrat tax increase plan affects all Americans. Those increases would hit middle income families, low-income earners families with small children, business, just to name a few.

Now, we have heard here tonight from our friends on the other side of the aisle that they don't want to raise taxes in this budget and that this budget doesn't raise taxes. Mr. Chairman, there is a problem, that the votes here in this body are recorded, they are actually recorded, just last week, not last year, not last century, just last week.

I know memory sometimes fails, but last week, when we marked up this budget, the Republicans offered several amendments making sure that the taxes did not go up. Not a single Democrat in that committee voted for those amendments.

So here they come, on this floor tonight, and say that they do not raise taxes, but last week they voted against an amendment extending the $1,000 per child tax credit. They say, tonight, on this floor, that this budget does not raise taxes, but voted against an amendment last week on this budget that would have extended the marriage penalty tax relief. They say tonight on this floor that they do not want to raise taxes and this budget does not raise taxes, but just a few days ago, they voted against extending the elimination of death tax and even voted against extending the State and local tax deduction.

That is on the record. You see, you can say a lot of things, but votes are recorded.

Ladies and gentlemen, don't take my word for it, don't take theirs. Go on the Internet. Look at the votes. They voted to extend, they voted against those amendments which would have kept the taxes low.

What does that mean for every American family? For example, a middle income family of four earning $60,000 will see an increase of 61 percent to their tax bill in 2011.

But wait, there is a lot more. But wait, like the TV commercial says, but, wait, there is more, 150 million taxpayers would see their taxes increase, on average, of $1,795 by 2011. In the State of Florida alone, there are over 7.6 million taxpayers. I hate to break the news, there aren't 7.6 million rich people in Florida. Over 7.6 million taxpayers in my home State of Florida will see their taxes increase by an average of $3,036.

Mr. Chairman, this is the largest tax increase in the history of this country.

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