Congressman Franks Votes Against Largest Tax Increase in American History

Press Release

In Wake of Record Gas Prices, Franks Decries $683 Billion New Tax Hike on Hardworking Americans

Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) made the following statement today after voting against S.Con.Res. 70, the Concurrent Budget Resolution for 2009, containing the largest tax increase in American history.

"Democrats have once again shown themselves to be completely out of touch with the American people and in denial of the laws of economics. In the midst of record oil prices, Democrats' continuous refusal to address earmark reform and entitlement spending, their timing could hardly be worse. President Reagan said that ‘Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15th.' I doubt when President Reagan said those words, he imagined that it would one day materialize in a $683 billion tax increase, translating to an average tax hike of $1,800 on over 100 million hardworking American taxpayers.

"Just as socialism finally caught up with the Soviet Union, our own deficit spending could crush us in a way no enemy has ever been able to do, and sentence our children to pay the price for Congress' refusal to exercise the power of the purse with fiscal discipline and restraint."

NOTE: The Democrat budget resolution for fiscal year 2009 passed with a bare majority of 214 votes, with no Republicans voting to approve it. Under the Democrat budget plan, 116 million American taxpayers would be hit with an average tax hike of $1,833. Working families would be hit especially hard: for instance, according to Investor's Business Daily, a family of four with two children that currently earns $50,000 annually would have to pay an additional $2,155 in taxes under the Democrat plan—this represents a 191 percent increase in that family's tax bill.

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