Issue Position: Taxes

Issue Position

"Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem"

--Ronald Reagan, First Inaugural Address

For too long government has assumed that a percentage of an individual's income is owed to them. However, I believe that it is the government who is beholden to the people. Individuals should expect results from the hard earned money that they turn over every year to the federal government. The waste that occurs from over spending is an insult to the American people. Everyone who works hard deserves to keep the money they earn and, in turn, spend or save as they see fit. By letting the people keep more of their income, they are able to spend more on goods and services thereby contributing to a robust national economy. When taxes are raised, people are inclined to spend less and our economy suffers. That is why, since my first term in office, I have consistently worked for lower taxes and less government spending.

I share hard working Americans' frustration with the Internal Revenue Service and our current convoluted tax code. I believe that Congress should encourage a full discussion and act on fundamental tax reform. Whether it is a flat income tax, a national sales tax or another idea, I will support a tax plan which provides fairness to the taxpayer and makes the system less complicated.

I have voted time and again to lower your taxes, and will continue to do so. In recent years, we have been able to cut the marriage penalty tax, increase the child tax credit, lower tax rates for everyone, and I will continue to work to end the death tax once and for all.

The recent stimulus package signed into law also includes rebates for most Americans. The plan includes:

* Workers who earned at least $3,000 in qualifying income during 2007, but paid little or no income tax, would qualify for checks of $300 for individuals or $600 for couples filing joint tax returns. Qualifying income includes wages, Social Security benefits and payments to disabled veterans or their survivors.

* Those who paid taxes last year on wages or investment income would receive checks of up to $600 for individuals, $1,200 for couples. Payments would phase out beginning with individuals with more than $75,000 in adjusted gross income and couples with more than $150,000. The rebate phase-out occurs at a rate of $50 for every $1,000 in qualifying income earned, so childless individuals with incomes above $87,000, or $174,000 for couples, would get nothing.

* Anyone qualifying for a check would receive $300 for each dependent child under age 17.

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