It’s Not Too Late for House Dems to Urge Their Party to Support Middle-Class Families and Small Businesses

December 21, 2011

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Jason Altmire (PA-04), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Lois Capps (CA-24), Russ Carnahan (MO-03), Kathy Castor (FL-11), Ben Chandler (KY-06), David Cicilline (RI-01), Jim Cooper (TN-05), Jim Costa (CA-21), Mark Critz (PA-12), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), John Garamendi (CA-03), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Tim Holden (PA-17), Bill Keating (MA-09), Ron Kind (WI-03), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Brad Miller (NC-13), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Gary Peters (MI-09), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), David Price (NC-04), Heath Shuler (NC-11), Betty Sutton (OH-13), John Tierney (MA-06), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), Pete Visclosky (IN-01), John Yarmuth (KY-03)

It’s Not Too Late for Altmire to Urge His Party to Support Middle-Class Families and Small Businesses
When Will Pennsylvania Democrat Give Small Businesses & Middle-Class Families the One-Year Workable Payroll Tax Plan They Need?

Washington — Jason Altmire has refused to back down on his hastily cobbled together Democrat payroll tax measure that small businesses say is nearly impossible to implement. If Altmire and his fellow Washington Democrats want to avoid actively making life even more difficult for middle-class families and small businesses in Pennsylvania, they should abandon their untenable positions and work toward a full one year solution in a bipartisan manner.

“Jason Altmire and his fellow Washington Democrats are currently the only ones paving the way for tax hikes on middle-class families and a new wave of red tape for struggling small businesses,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “Altmire already let Pennsylvania families down when he rejected a one year extension of the payroll tax cut last week. For his sake, Altmire should abandon his efforts for a reckless temporary quick fix and join bipartisan efforts for the full one year extension working families and small businesses need.”

Democrat leaders are refusing to even work toward a bipartisan one year deal, standing firm on a two month extension of the payroll tax cut instead:

“A spokesman for [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid suggested that the Democratic leader would stand by his decision not to call back the Senate. And on Monday night, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she would not appoint any House Democrats to participate in the conference.” (Lucy Madison, “House rejects payroll tax cut compromise,” CBS News’ Political Hotsheet Blog, 12/20/11)

However, small businesses are saying a two month extension would be nearly impossible for them to implement and burden them even further:

“As lawmakers fought, payroll specialists told Congress on Monday that the two-month change in Social Security payroll tax rates envisioned in the Senate bill was not workable.” (Jennifer Steinhauer and Robert Pear, “House Set to Vote Down Payroll Tax Cut Extension,” The New York Times, 12/19/11)

“Officials from the policy-neutral National Payroll Reporting Consortium, Inc. have expressed concern to members of Congress that the two-month payroll tax holiday passed by the Senate and supported by President Obama cannot be implemented properly.” (Jake Tapper, “Two-Month Payroll Tax Holiday Passed By Senate, Pushed By President, Cannot Be Implemented Properly, Experts Say,” ABC News’ Political Punch Blog, 12/19/11)

“Smaller businesses that use off-the-shelf software or prepare pay stubs by hand would also face difficulty complying with late changes. ‘It’s a complication in the employer’s life and I think the smaller employers are the ones who are going to feel the confusion more directly,’ said Abe Schneier, a senior technical manager at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Washington.” (Richard Rubin, “Payroll Processors Fume as Congress Fiddles on Tax-Cut Extension,” Bloomberg, 12/19/11)

Jason Altmire voted against a bipartisan one year plan to extend the payroll tax for working families last week (Roll Call #923, 12/13/11), then joined his Democrat leaders in refusing to try and negotiate a new workable one yesterday (Roll Call #946, 12/20/11).

Jason Altmire has not demonstrated any effort to offer middle-class families and small businesses in Pennsylvania a workable payroll tax extension solution. Altmire needs to stop the political posturing and join common-sense bipartisan efforts to prevent tax hikes on working Americans without slamming small businesses with more red tape.

It’s Not Too Late for Dems to Support Middle-Class Families and Small Businesses http://ow.ly/86R8Q #madeinwdc

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