[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13536-13537]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TAX CUT WILL NOT BOOST ECONOMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, today we stood here and we debated 
the amendment that would outlaw burning the flag and everybody stood on 
the floor or everybody, those on the Republican side of the aisle, 
stood on the floor and talked about liberty and justice for all as we 
pledged allegiance to the flag. Clearly, that liberty and justice for 
all applies sometimes and not at tax time.
  I have been fortunate to serve as a new member of the Committee on 
Ways and Means, and I sat through hearing after hearing after hearing 
about the tax cut; and in the hearings it was said that the tax cut 
would boost the economy. Several times we reminded the speakers that 
were speaking that the 2001 tax cut did not boost the economy, so what 
makes them think that another tax cut, again in 2003, will boost the 
economy?
  The real unfairness of the situation in some of those debates was the 
issue about dividend tax cuts as it impacted low-income housing tax 
credits, and we pushed them on this and we pushed them on this. Oh, I 
am not sure it is going to have an impact, but all of us understand 
that right now people are investing in urban communities because of the 
tax credit they will get,

[[Page 13537]]

not because that they are such do-gooders.
  That brings us home to where we are right now, where we have families 
who make between $10,500 and $26,625, and they will not benefit from 
this tax cut. It is a shame. It is not justice for all, and we need to 
bring them out. We need to pull the sheet off this mess that we have 
here. We need to open the doors to daylight. We need to let the 
American people understand that the working folk that make between 
$10,500 and $26,000, that pay the same $2 for gasoline, that pay the 
same $2 for a loaf of bread, that pay the same $7 for a pound of meat, 
that pay all the same things that the millionaires pay, well, maybe the 
millionaires pay more because they can afford to get more exclusive-
type things, but those people are not going to benefit from this tax 
cut. They are not going to be able to get that $400 and run out the 
door and buy their kids some new shoes or clothes, or buy more stuff or 
put some more food on the table.
  This tax cut, as it is presented, will not boost the economy, and 
surely it is not going to boost the lives of low-income American 
families, and they will pay.

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