[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 108 (Monday, July 28, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H5831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         DEMOCRATS AND TAX CUTS

  (Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, when the Democrats on the 
other side make their arguments explaining why they oppose our tax cut 
package, I listen to them. It is not fun, but I do listen.
  The problem is their arguments are extremely weak. The first argument 
is that most of the benefits go to the rich. My response to that 
argument is that they speak as if there is a pot of money that is 
distributed to people, that the Government divides up some amount of 
benefits and decides where the benefits go.
  This is simply wrong. A tax cut simply means that the Government will 
take less. It will take less from upper income people. It will take 
less from lower income people. And let us please try to remember, it is 
their money to begin with; no one is giving them anything.
  The second argument is that the tax credit should apply to the 
working poor who pay no income taxes but who do pay payroll and other 
taxes. But low-income workers already receive a subsidy for the payroll 
taxes through the EITC, and payroll taxes are for Medicare and Social 
Security anyway, for which they will also get a subsidy. So that is why 
their arguments simply do not add up.

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