Dems Preparing to Finance Government Takeover of Health Care with Small Business Tax Hike | Republican Leader John Boehner

Dems Preparing to Finance Government Takeover of Health Care with Small Business Tax Hike | Republican Leader John Boehner

Dems Preparing to Finance Government Takeover of Health Care with Small Business Tax Hike
As Unemployment Rises, Democrats Consider Raising Taxes on America's Best Hope for New Jobs: Small Businesses

Washington, Jul 7 - As Members of Congress return to Washington after the Independence Day recess, a top item on the Democrats’ agenda is determining how to finance their massive government takeover of health care. Providing more proof that history repeats itself, it appears that Democrats are returning to the same well once again to pay for this Big Government expansion: tax hikes. Bloomberg News reports:

“House Ways and Means Committee members are likely to propose a surtax on high-income Americans to help pay for an overhaul of the health-care system, according to people familiar with the plan…” “A surtax proposal would force President Barack Obama to decide whether he is willing to add the levy on top of higher income-tax rates for top earners that he wants to take effect in 2011. Obama has promised that he won’t increase taxes on Americans earning less than $250,000 and said he will delay increases for high-income earners until 2011.”

In other words, after Democrats have already given the green light to one tax hike, they’re ready to pile another right on top. And who pays the price? Small businesses: the engine of our economy and our nation’s best hope for substantial job creation. The Democrats’ surtax “disproportionately” affects small businesses, whose owners often include business income in amounts taxed on their individual returns.

So, let’s get this straight. At a time when unemployment is rising to levels far beyond what the Administration promised when it was selling its trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill that isn’t working, Democrats are prepared to make it even more difficult for small businesses to stay in business and create jobs? Is that really the best strategy for creating jobs on behalf of the American people? Of course not. And a small business tax hike isn’t the only way Democrats are looking to pay for trillion-dollar plus government-run health care plan. They’ve also proposed everything from the elimination of the tax deduction for charitable contributions to a new tax on soda. Even the Democrats’ spokesman for the House Ways & Means Committee admits that tax hikes are coming: “Everything’s on the table.”

House Republicans believe there is a way to achieve health care reform without a government takeover, without increasing costs and forcing 114 million Americans off of their current health care plans as the Democrats’ proposal would do, and without raising taxes on small businesses – or anyone else during a recession. The House GOP has put forward a plan to reduce health care costs, expand access, and increase the quality of care in a way Americans can afford. Importantly, the plan will not lead to higher taxes and fewer jobs, and the proposal will ensure that patients and doctors, not government bureaucrats, continue to make personal medical decisions. More information on the plan is available HERE. With health care reform at the top of the Democrats’ agenda for July, will leaders in Congress and the Administration join Republicans at the table to craft a commonsense plan to give Americans better access to affordable health care? Or will Democrats to continue to go it alone on a government takeover of health care that would raise taxes on the engines of our economy: America’s small businesses?