    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [April 15, 2006]
    [Pages 730-732]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    April 15, 2006

        Good morning. Monday is tax day, and that means many of you are busy
    finishing up your tax returns. The good news is that this year,
    Americans will once again keep more of their hard-earned dollars because
    of the tax cuts we passed in 2001 and 2003.
        An important debate is taking place in Washington over whether to
    keep these tax cuts in place or to raise your taxes. For

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    the sake of American workers and their families, and for our
    entrepreneurs, I believe Congress needs to make the tax relief
    permanent.
        Our economy prospers when Americans like you make the decisions on
    how to spend, save, and invest your money. So the tax relief we passed
    cut taxes for everyone who pays income taxes. We cut taxes on families
    by lowering rates and by doubling the child credit. We also reduced the
    marriage penalty, because our Tax Code should encourage marriage, not
    penalize it. We cut taxes on small businesses, allowing them to expand
    and hire more workers. And we worked with Congress to phase out the
    death tax, because Government should not tax farmers or small-business
    owners twice--once when you make your money and the second time when you
    try to pass the fruits of your life's work on to your loved ones.
        So far, the tax relief I signed has left $880 billion with America's
    workers and small-business owners and families, and you have used that
    money to fuel an economic resurgence. Our economy has added jobs for 31
    months in a row, creating more than 5.1 million new jobs for American
    workers. And the unemployment rate is now down to 4.7 percent, below the
    average rate for each of the past four decades. Real after-tax income
    per person has grown by more than 8 percent since I took office. And
    that means, on average, Americans have an income that is $2,100 higher
    this year than it was at the beginning of 2001, after adjusting for
    inflation.
        Not everyone agrees that we should let you keep more of your money.
    Some in Washington said that by cutting taxes, we were ruining our
    economy. On the day that the House and Senate were finalizing the 2003
    tax cuts, one Democratic leader said these cuts
    would do nothing to create jobs. Since then, the facts have proven that
    critic wrong--5.1 million times over.
        Tax relief has done exactly what it was designed to do: It has
    created jobs and growth for the American people. Yet some here in
    Washington are now proposing that we raise taxes, either by repealing
    the tax cuts or letting them expire. These are the same politicians who
    told us that letting you keep more of your own money would be
    irresponsible and reckless and shameful. They were wrong then, and they
    are wrong now. To keep our economy creating jobs and opportunity,
    Congress needs to make the tax relief permanent.
        There's more to do to maintain America's economic strength. We're
    working to address rising energy prices and health care costs, which
    puts pressure on family budgets and the bottom lines of our small
    businesses. I have proposed practical reforms that would make health
    care more available and affordable, and I put forward an energy
    initiative that would make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing
    of the past. I urge Congress to act on these important priorities, so we
    can keep America the economic leader of the world and allow more
    families and small businesses to realize the American Dream.
        America's economy is strong and benefiting all Americans. By keeping
    taxes low and adopting sound policies that help our workers to compete
    and our businesses to grow and expand, we will keep the economy moving
    forward and extend prosperity and hope in our country.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:36 a.m. on April 13 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April 15. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    April 14 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    this address.

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