John Boehner 8TH DISCTRICT OF OHIO

Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) today released the following weekly column discussing the two-point plan he set out earlier this week for immediate, bipartisan action on jobs and spending:

"With unemployment in America still painfully high, there has been a lot of talk recently about the best way to move our economy forward.  The president spent much of this week talking about his plan to pay for more government spending by allowing massive tax hikes on families and small businesses to go into effect at the end of the year.

"I believe this is simply the wrong approach.  As I travel the state, I talk to employers who are looking at all the taxes, all the ‘stimulus’ spending, and all the new rules being handed down from Washington and they are sitting on their hands.  Hitting small business– the engine of economic growth – with more jobs-killing taxes in this weak economy will only make matters worse.

"The president claims that his plan will only affect a small number of Americans, but according to an analysis by the non-partisan Committee on Joint Taxation, Congress's official tax scorekeeper, half of small business income in America will face higher taxes. 

"ABC News recently talked to several small business operators who would be impacted by the president’s plan, including a manufacturer in Baltimore who said raising the top rates would cost him an additional $30 to 40,000.  Another small commercial printer in Boston said that the tax hikes will cost an additional $120,000 next year, and could force him to cut jobs. 

"How many small businesses will these tax hikes affect nationwide?  The Tax Policy Center, a Washington research organization, told ABC that 894,000 small businesses would see their taxes go up under the president’s plan.

"Employers won’t be alone in feeling the pinch from President Obama’s plan on January 1, 2011.  Here are some quick facts compiled by Republican staff on the House’s chief tax-writing committee:

• A family of four earning $50,000 per year could pay more than $2,100 in higher taxes.

• The child tax credit will be cut in half, from $1,000 to $500 per child, costing 31 million families an average of $1,033 in higher taxes next year.

• The 10% bracket will be eliminated, raising the lowest tax rate to 15%, costing 88 million taxpayers an average of $503 in higher taxes next year.

• The death tax, will be reinstated with rates as high as 55% -- a major concern for many farmers in the Eighth Congressional District.

"The taxing-spending-and-borrowing-binge in Washington isn’t getting our economy moving.  It’s time Democrats and Republicans in Congress sat down in a bipartisan way and agreed on a plan provide small businesses with the certainty they need to get back on their feet.

"Earlier this week in West Chester, I outlined two steps for immediate bipartisan action to cut spending and stop the looming tax hikes.  This plan would help boost the economy now by freezing all tax rates for two years and cutting government spending to where it was before all the bailouts, government takeovers, and ‘stimulus’ spending sprees.

"I’m calling on Congress to act on my proposal this month, but I want to hear from you too.  You can comment on my ideas, vote them up or down, and submit your own solutions at AmericaSpeakingOut.com – the online home to an innovative project designed to engage the American people in creating a clear, positive policy agenda for the nation.

"This agenda – which is currently being finalized – won’t be a Washington-knows-best document handed down by Washington know-it-alls.  It has been built from the ground up, and will reflect the ideas and feedback gathered from Eighth Congressional District constituents and hundreds of thousands of every day Americans. 

"Our approach through America Speaking Out stands in stark contrast to the mindset of the Washington Democrats who refuse to listen to the majority of Americans as they push more of their ‘stimulus’ spending spree.  It’s time for a fresh start. 

"American families and small businesses deserve to keep more of their own hard-earned money.  Together we can eliminate the tax hikes, stop the ‘stimulus’ spending spree, and get our economy moving again.  Now is the time to act.

"Boehner represents Ohio’s 8th District, which includes all of Darke, Miami, and Preble counties, most of Butler and Mercer counties, and the northeastern corner of Montgomery County.  He was first elected to Congress in 1990."