Big Taxes for Small Business: Target Dems' Agenda Slams Job Creators

August 23, 2010

FYI, a version of the release below went out to the following incumbent and challenger districts: John Adler (NJ-03); Jason Altmire (PA-04); Michael Arcuri (NY-24); John Barrow (GA-12); Ami Bera (CA-03); Sanford Bishop (GA-02); Tim Bishop (NY-01); John Boccieri (OH-16); Leonard Boswell (IA-03); Rick Boucher (VA-09); Allen Boyd (FL-02); Bobby Bright (AL-02); Paula Brooks (OH-12); John Callahan (PA-15); Dennis Cardoza (CA-18); Russ Carnahan (MO-03); Chris Carney (PA-10); John Carney (DE-AL); Ben Chandler (KY-06); Chad Causey (AR-01); Travis Childers (MS-01); Gerry Connolly (VA-11); Jim Costa (CA-20); Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03); Lincoln Davis (TN-04); Suzan DelBene (WA-08); Joe Donnelly (IN-02); Steve Driehaus (OH-01); Chet Edwards (TX-17); Lori Edwards (FL-12); Joyce Elliott (AR-02); Bob Etheridge (NC-02); Bill Foster (IL-14); Joe Garcia (FL-25); Gabby Giffords (AZ-08); Alan Grayson (FL-08); John Hall (NY-19); Debbie Halvorson (IL-11); Colleen Hanabusa (HI-01); Phil Hare (IL-17); Denny Heck (WA-03); Martin Heinrich (NM-01); Roy Herron (TN-08); Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL); Baron Hill (IN-09); Jim Himes (CT-04); Tim Holden (PA-17); Rush Holt (NJ-12); Steve Kagen (WI-08); Paul Kanjorski (PA-11); Marcy Kaptur (OH-09); Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15); Ron Kind (WI-03); Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01); Larry Kissell (NC-08); Ron Klein (FL-22); Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24); Frank Kratovil (MD-01); Rick Larsen (WA-02); Julie Lassa (WI-07); Bryan Lentz (PA-07); Dave Loebsack (IA-02); Dan Maffei (NY-25); Betsy Markey (CO-04); Jim Marshall (GA-08); Jim Matheson (UT-02); Gary McDowell (MI-01); Mike McIntyre (NC-07); Michael McMahon (NY-13); Jerry McNerney (CA-11); Michael Michaud (ME-02); Walt Minnick (ID-01); Harry Mitchell (AZ-05); Stephene Moore (KS-03); Chris Murphy (CT-05); Patrick Murphy (PA-08); Scott Murphy (NY-20); Glenn Nye (VA-02); Mike Oliverio (WV-01); Bill Owens (NY-23); Ed Perlmutter (CO-07); Tom Perriello (VA-05); Gary Peters (MI-09); Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL); Steve Pougnet (CA-45); Steve Raby (AL-05); Nick Rahall (WV-03); Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23);; John Salazar (CO-03); Loretta Sanchez (CA-47); Mark Schauer (MI-07); Kurt Schrader (OR-05); Dan Seals (IL-10); Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01); Heath Shuler (NC-11); Ike Skelton (MO-04); Zack Space (OH-18); John Spratt (SC-05); Betty Sutton (OH-13); Harry Teague (NM-02); Dina Titus (NV-03); Manan Trivedi (PA-06); Niki Tsongas (MA-05); Trent Van Haaften (IN-08); Tim Walz (MN-01); Tom White (NE-02); Charlie Wilson (OH-06); David Wu (OR-01) and John Yarmuth (KY-03).

Big Taxes for Small Business: Arcuri’s Agenda Slams Job Creators

Democrats Want to Slam Small Businesses with Massive Tax Hike
Washington- In another attempt to distract from their record of runaway spending and economic failure, House Democrats have handed down new marching orders for the week to Michael Arcuri. Their latest strategy to gloss over their job-killing agenda is to instruct loyal followers like Arcuri to highlight the party’s so-called small business agenda. Likely missing from the latest directive, however, is any mention that Washington Democrats are pushing forward with a plan to slam small businesses with massive tax hikes that are certain to kill jobs, prevent businesses from hiring, and set the already-struggling economy back even more.
“Michael Arcuri can parrot his party’s talking points all he wants, but the truth is that he’s spent his time in Washington making it harder for small businesses to grow and create jobs for New York workers,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “The proof is in the results. Arcuri’s ‘small business agenda’ has driven unemployment up to nearly ten percent and now he and his party leaders are ready to make the problem worse with a massive tax hike that small businesses simply cannot afford. With Arcuri unapologetically backing his party’s reckless agenda, it’s clear that the best thing he could do for economic recovery is to make way for someone else to represent New York’s families and small business owners in Congress.”

Democrat leaders in Washington are shifting their message once again as they attempt to salvage their prospects for November:

“House Democrats are planning a coordinated effort to highlight the party’s small-business agenda this week, hoping to build momentum for stalled jobs legislation while hammering Republicans for obstructionism.

“As part of the push, Democratic incumbents and candidates are scheduling business-themed campaign events throughout the country. With an eye toward boosting its chances in November, the party also plans to release a report highlighting accomplishments by freshman and sophomore lawmakers – many of whom are among the most vulnerable this fall.” (Russell Berman, “House Democrats to Push Party Small-Business Agenda This Week,” The Hill, 8/23/10)

But a cornerstone of the Democrats’ small business agenda is a massive tax hike that will slam business owners who have already been set back by job-killing legislation forced onto them by Arcuri and his Washington friends:
“Port is among a dozen small-business owners around the country interviewed by Dow Jones Newswires who said the increase in personal tax rates could hurt their ability to make new investments or hire workers. Tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush are slated to expire at the end of this year…Because most small firms are structured so that they pay individual rather than corporate income taxes, some would be caught by an increase in personal tax rates.” (Martin Vaughan and Corey Boles, “Small Businesses Fear Hit from Rise in Tax Rates,” Wall Street Journal, 8/23/10)
While Democrats attempt to brush aside the impact of these tax hikes, the simple truth is that they will hammer the small businesses that would drive economic recovery:
“Republicans point to data from the same [Joint Committee on Taxation] study showing that half of the $1 trillion in income projected to be earned by pass-through entities such as partnerships and S corporations in 2011 would be taxed at the higher rates.” (Martin Vaughan and Corey Boles, “Small Businesses Fear Hit from Rise in Tax Rates,” Wall Street Journal, 8/23/10)
With small businesses already suffering, what will it take for Michael Arcuri’s Democrat friends to finally back off their latest job-killing plan and get out of the way of economic recovery?
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