Admission explains Obama’s recent attempts to alter his middle class tax pledge
WASHINGTON, April 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — President Obama made it official today: He is open to the imposition of a Value-Added Tax (VAT) on the American people.  A VAT would violate Obama’s central campaign promise – a “firm pledge” that no family making less than $250,000 per year would see “any form of tax increase“.
Obama’s admission came during an interview with CNBC’s John Harwood. Â Asked if he could see the potential for a VAT, the President said:
“I know that there’s been a lot of talk around town lately about the value-added tax. That is something that has worked for some countries. It’s something that would be novel for the United States. Â And before, you know, I start saying ‘this makes sense or that makes sense,’ I want to get a better picture of what our options are.”
Obama’s VAT admission may explain his recent attempts to alter the terms of his central campaign promise. Â Twice in the past two weeks, Obama has claimed his middle class tax pledge only applied to income taxes rather than “any form of taxes”. Â
In his April 10 Weekly Radio Address, Obama said:
“And one thing we have not done is raise income taxes on families making less than $250,000. Â That’s another promise we’ve kept.”
In a speech on the evening of April 15, Obama repeated the truncated promise:
“And one thing we haven’t done is raise income taxes on families making less than $250,000 a year — another promise that we kept.”
The two recent statements stand in stark contrast to Obama’s original promise:
“I can make a firm pledge. Â Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Â Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.” (Dover, NH) Â [Transcript] [Video]
The Obama VAT admission also comes the day after White House economic advisor Austan Goolsbee refused six consecutive opportunities to permanently close the door on a VAT and two days after White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said a VAT “is not something the President has proposed nor is it under consideration.”
Americans for Tax Reform is a non-partisan coalition of taxpayers and taxpayer groups who oppose all tax increases. Â For more information or to arrange an interview please contact John Kartch at (202) 785-0266 or by email at jkartch@atr.org.
SOURCE Americans for Tax Reform
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The Senate, however, passed a “Sense of the Senate” last week (link), on April 15th, Tax Day, that reads:
“Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Value Added Tax is a massive tax increase that will cripple families on fixed income and only further push back America’s economic recovery and the Senate opposes a Value Added Tax.”
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