[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 82 (Thursday, June 12, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE AMERICAN PEOPLE NEED TAX RELIEF

  (Mr. BOEHNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, the average family in America in 1950 paid 
about four percent of their income in taxes to all levels of 
government. Today that tax load on the typical American family of 4 is 
about 24 percent; 24 percent of their gross income goes to government 
at some level.
  That is why Republicans in our Contract With America some 2\1/2\ 
years ago decided it was very important to provide tax relief to the 
American people. We tried over the last 2 years, unsuccessfully to 
provide this type of permanent tax relief to American families.
  Today the Committee on Ways and Means of this Congress will bring a 
bill to reduce taxes on American families. This will be the first tax 
decrease from Washington in 16 years. Seventy-five percent of the 
benefits of this tax package will go to middle income families making 
between $20,000 and $75,000 a year.
  This is Republicans continuing to keep our commitment to the American 
people. This was the cornerstone of the Contract With America, and I am 
proud of the work that we are doing in continuing to meet the 
commitments that we made to the American people.

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