Dear Friends:
One of the primary duties of a U.S. Representative is to listen. A big problem with Washington today is that too many public officials have forgotten what life is like for most Americans. As your Congressman, listening to you is an important part of the job and has always been my pledge to you.
In many of the conversations I have had with concerned Arkansans, one message has been predominant – that you want and need tax cuts. When Congress returns to session on November 15th, one of our top priorities will be to address the Bush-era tax cuts, set to expire at the end of the year and I firmly support extending these critical tax cuts.
Many of the Bush-era tax cuts were enacted through the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, which I supporter and voted for. These tax cuts included a reduction of individual income tax rates, an increase in the child tax credit, and a reduction on corporate taxes in the form of temporary dividend relief. In addition, they increased the exemption amount for the individual Alternative Minimum Tax, reduced the estate tax and lowered taxes on income from dividends and capital gains. In 2006, Congress voted to extend these tax cuts through 2010.
If these tax cuts expire at the end of this year, many of the individual tax rates will revert back to their 2000 levels. Rest assured, I will work hard to extend these tax cuts well before they are set to expire at the end of this year. Simply put, we should not raise any one’s taxes as we continue to recover from this historically deep economic recession.
Like you, I believe that extending these important tax cuts is critical to help working families and Arkansas’s small businesses, strengthen our economy, and create jobs across our state. That is why on September 15th of this year, along with 30 of my colleagues, I sent a letter to leadership in the House of Representatives voicing my support for these cuts and calling upon them to pass legislation which would extend them for everyone.
Right now it is important for us to focus on the economy, creating new jobs, and putting America back to work. Most economists now say the recession has ended, but that we are in a very slow economic recovery evident by the fact unemployment continues to remain high.
As Congress addresses economic recovery, there is no one silver bullet, one plan or a single piece of legislation that will expedite our economic recovery. There is only so much government can do, even during tough economic times, but cutting taxes and putting more money in the pockets of those who need it is an important step.
As we move forward, I will continue to support legislation that is fiscally responsible, cuts taxes for working families and small businesses, creates jobs here at home and strengthens our state’s infrastructure so that we can come out of this economic recession stronger than ever before, just as we always have.
Sincerely,
Mike Ross
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MIKE JOINS CELEBRATION OF CLINTON'S FIRST HOME MUSEUM
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HOPE - Mike attends a gathering for the founders of the Clinton’s First Home Museum in Hope on Nov. 6.
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Do you think the tax cuts should be extended for everyone before they expire on December 31, 2010?
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