[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 101 (Wednesday, July 16, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H5382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TAX RELIEF FOR MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Kingston] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to talk to my colleagues tonight 
about taxes. I think it is very, very important to understand why the 
working middle class families of America need tax relief. Here is a 
chart that I hope everyone can see that shows in the 1950's the average 
American family, of average income, paid about 6 percent Federal income 
tax. In 1994, it was 23 percent Federal tax burden. Today, the Federal 
tax burden, 1995, is 39 percent. As my colleagues can see, the working 
middle class families are paying higher taxes than ever before in 
history.
  We need tax relief. Because the less taxes people pay, the less taxes 
families pay, the more time they can spend with each other. One of the 
key benefits of that is so that moms and dads can spend time with their 
children and impart information and help raise them.

                              {time}  2115

  Now what does our tax relief bill do? Our tax relief bill gives 76 
percent of the tax relief to middle-income families making between 20 
and $75,000. That is this big chunk right here. That is who is getting 
the tax relief. That is who needs tax relief. I think that we should 
get over class envy, but it is very important to point out that most of 
the tax relief, 76 percent, goes to people earning or families earning 
between 20 and $75,000.
  Now over a 10-year period of time, if you look at the tax relief, you 
can see that 90 percent of the tax relief goes to family and education 
or families for educational purposes. Seventy-five billion dollars in 
tax relief for educational uses over a 10-year period, and $150 billion 
over 10 years for the $500 per child tax credit; that is a huge tax 
reduction, and it all goes for the right purposes.
  Now we got a big debate going on that you may hear about, about the 
tax bill, and that is why I invite Members of Congress and members of 
the public to look this up on the Internet. Find out what the family 
tax relief plan could mean to your family.
  I am going to say what the Internet number is. It is http://
hillsource.house.gov, and there is also a Senate page that you can get 
too, but today you can look up on the web page exactly what this tax 
relief bill could mean to you for your $500 per child tax credit, HOPE 
scholarship, for your children to enter an education, your IRA dream 
savings account expansion.
  There is a lot to it, and I would urge members of the public to look 
it up on the Internet.
  And, Mr. Speaker, I will be happy to yield to my friend from 
Pennsylvania.
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. I understand the gentleman yields.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Yes.
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I think the fact is that this 
has widespread support among the public and also Congress. Was this not 
the agreement that the President has made with Congress to move forward 
with this family tax plan?
  Mr. KINGSTON. Yes, and it is very interesting that the gentleman will 
point out that the President is working with the Republican Party on a 
bipartisan basis to give this middle class tax relief.
  There are Members, liberal extremists, on one fringe element of his 
party who is against tax relief for the middle class, but for the most 
part this is a bipartisan middle class tax relief bill.
  I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Not only will it help seniors with the 
estate tax assistance and also helps with the capital gains tax to grow 
jobs and the economy, but the education tax credits will help families 
send students to college.
  I know my own district, 108,000 families will benefit from the $500 
per child tax credit.
  So this is an idea whose time has arrived.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Absolutely, and I know in my First District that I 
represent of Georgia it will give tax relief, we figure, to about 
300,000 people in the coastal Georgia area alone.
  But you know the more money you have as a wage earner, the more money 
you have in your pocket, because we as a confiscatory government take 
less of it, that means you are going to spend more. You are going to 
buy more shoes, more shirts, more records, you are going to go out to 
eat more. When you do, businesses will expand because of the demand. 
When they expand, they create more jobs. When they create more jobs, 
more people are working, more people are paying taxes, fewer people are 
on welfare, and cutting taxes, therefore, is very consistent with the 
goal of deficit reduction.
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. You are absolutely right.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Guam [Mr. Underwood] is recognized for 5 minutes.

  Mr. UNDERWOOD addressed the House. His remarks will appear hereafter 
in the Extensions of Remarks.]

                          ____________________