[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 162 (Tuesday, November 16, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H12002]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NO TAXES ON MINING INDUSTRY

  (Mr. Gibbons asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, recently Vice President Al Gore announced a 
scheme to impose a new $2 billion tax on the mining industry. At a time 
when America's mining industry has been crippled and forced to lay off 
thousands of employees, the Vice President now wants to impose a new $2 
billion tax that will only serve as a death knell for this industry.
  It appears that Mr. Gore's motto is that when the good guy is down, 
let us pick his pocket. There is always a dollar or two left somewhere.
  Mr. Speaker, the U.S. mining industry provides America with the 
resources that allow us to enjoy the standard and quality of life we 
need and respect today. Now the Vice President wants to jeopardize the 
future of America, our economy, and this vital industry by oppressing 
it with a $2 billion tax in order to fund his political agenda.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the true mentality of the Vice President, to tax 
an industry until it is destroyed just so he can use the revenue for 
his own political gain. Mr. Speaker, let us put personal agendas aside. 
America needs the mining industry, but it does not need a $2 billion 
tax.

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