[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 5996]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TAXPAYER ASSISTANCE AND SIMPLIFICATION ACT

  (Mr. HALL of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HALL of New York. Madam Speaker, my friend, the colleague who 
spoke just before me, was mentioning a fictitious tax increase. I want 
people to know that such a thing does not in fact exist, and I would be 
curious to see which law it is.
  In the meanwhile, there is no better day than today, April 15, to 
talk about the commitment this Congress has made to the American people 
to ensure that the Tax Code becomes fairer and simpler for middle class 
families.
  We must be consistent and make the Tax Code more helpful to families 
by prioritizing middle class tax relief, including the child tax 
credit, relief from the marriage penalty, and preserving our lowest tax 
brackets.
  We must also commit to making sure our tax dollars are spent wisely. 
The average family pays over $13,000 in Federal taxes; they deserve to 
get their money's worth.
  For that to happen, we must preserve fiscal discipline, as this 
Congress has done by reinstating the pay-as-you-go rules, PAYGO, 
meaning we only spend as much money as we have and we do not increase 
the deficit for our children and grandchildren. And we must prioritize 
important spending such as health care, education, and our national 
infrastructure.

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