I believe tax cuts need to go to those
who need them most—the working families and small businesses that make up the
backbone of our country. That is why I am fighting every day for middle class
tax cuts to help working families keep more of their hard-earned money. Every
day, I hear from families across Washington state about the need to
provide middle class tax relief for working families and that is why I have
fought hard for them and other middle class families across Washington state.
I have voted for and continue to support targeted tax cuts for
the middle class. I have also fought for tax cuts that
enable small businesses to expand and to help employers bring on new employees
and to invest in new equipment.
Priorities
- When Washington state taxpayers file their federal income
taxes each year, they are at a disadvantage because unlike other states that
have income taxes and therefore allow residents to deduct their income tax from
their federal income taxes, Washington state families are not given this
opportunity to deduct their sales taxes.
I have fought year after year to give Washington residents parity by
enabling them to deduct the state sales tax on their federal income tax
returns, and I will continue to fight to make the state and local sales tax
deduction permanent. In 2008, I was proud to help push through
legislation that extended the sales tax deduction provision through 2009 and I
am currently fighting for Washingtonians to be able to write off sales taxes on
their taxes.
- I will continue to fight for tax reform that benefits
the middle class, encourages energy efficiency and clean technology investment,
and helps promote economic development and the expansion of business
opportunities and small business development.
- I believe that tax cuts should be targeted at the middle
class who benefit most from the extra money to pay for everyday items like food
on the table, gas for your car, and back to school clothes.
- I oppose cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans and paying
for those tax cuts by reducing funding for our veterans, or cutting investments
in our children.
Accomplishments
- Consistently supported
efforts to make the state sales tax deduction permanent.
- Supported the
enactment of the First-Time Homebuyer
Tax Credit in April 2008 and its extension in July 2009, which provided
needed assistance to families seeking to own a home of their own and a boost to
our struggling housing market.
- Support for tax incentives for community development
and for small businesses who are
bringing on new employees.
- Supported tax credits to support research and development in clean energy
technology, improving the use of solar technology, making energy-efficient
improvements to homes and increasing incentives to purchase energy-efficient
appliances.
- Supported extending the production tax credit, establishing new incentives for cellulosic
ethanol and creating new incentives for plug-in hybrid vehicles.
- Passed the largest middle class tax cuts in
American history.
Senator
Murray is a champion of tax credits that benefit the middle class and stimulate
economic growth. In the 111th Congress, Senator Murray voted for the
following tax credits:
- American Opportunity Tax Credit
- Alternative Minimum Tax
Protection for Individuals and Families
- Computers as qualified
education expenses in 529 Education Plans
- Earned Income Tax Credit
- Refundable Child Tax Credit
- Work Opportunity Tax Credit
- Extensions of Bonus
Depreciation
- Extensions of Elective Expensing (Section
179)
- Extensions of Monetization of Accumulated AMT
and R&D Credits in Lieu of Bonus Depreciation
- First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit
- Income Tax Cut
- Increase of the Net Operating Loss Carry Back Period
- Industrial Development Bonds
- Making Work Pay Credit
- New Markets Tax Credit
- Sales Tax Deduction
- Sales Tax Deduction for Vehicle Purchases
- Seniors, Disabled Veterans and SSI
- Small Business Capital Gains Tax Relief
- Suspension of Taxation of Unemployment
Benefits