[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 11, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H2930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            TAX FREEDOM DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today, May 11, is Tax 
Freedom Day, which means, if the government began taking every dime of 
one's paycheck on January 1 of this year, one would have spent, on 
average, the last 131 days working just to pay one's local, State, and 
Federal taxes.
  We call it Tax Freedom Day, but this year we really do not have much 
to celebrate. We have spent more days working for the government than 
we did last year. A later Tax Freedom Day indicates an ever-increasing 
national tax burden.
  Mr. Speaker, the citizens of this country cannot afford any more 
taxes. The typical American family already spends more than 38 percent 
of its income on taxes. That is more than most families spend on food, 
clothing, shelter, and transportation combined. In fact, the average 
American spends almost 3 hours of a typical 8-hour day working for the 
government.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot continue to expect our hard-working families 
to shoulder the debt of a big government that routinely spends outside 
of its means. It is unacceptable that Americans must work at least 5 
months of the year just to pay their taxes.
  While taxes have continued to mount, so, too, has the Tax Code. 
Growing more complex, the Tax Code now totals nearly 3,000 pages. Mr. 
Speaker, the tax burden on our American families is out of control.
  Since gaining the majority in 1994, this Congress has continued 
working to put more money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans. 
We balanced the Federal budget. We passed the first tax relief in 16 
years, and now we have the first budget surplus in generations. Today, 
the current tax rate is between 1.2 and 2 percent lower than just 2 
years ago. Now it is time, Mr. Speaker, to build upon that momentum.
  Mr. Speaker, I have supported legislation to abolish the current Tax 
Code in hopes of establishing a flat tax or a national sales tax. In 
addition, I supported legislation to abolish some of the most 
outrageous and unfair taxes in our American families, like the death 
tax, marriage tax, and capital gains tax. Personally, I have introduced 
legislation to offer a tax credit for our military personnel.
  Mr. Speaker, the Republican Congress continues to prove to the 
American people its commitments to lower taxes. But we cannot stop now. 
Lower taxes always should be a top priority. That requires cooperation 
between Congress and the administration.
  This Congress and Congresses of the future must always remember that 
this money belongs to the people, and we must make every effort to 
return it to the people.
  I hope that the next person elected to serve as President of the 
United States makes a commitment to simplify the Tax Code to ensure its 
fairness for the citizens of this country.
  Mr. Speaker, today we observe Tax Freedom Day. Let us now continue 
working to make sure that next year Tax Freedom Day falls on a day we 
can all celebrate.

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