Rep. Burton Issues Statement on House Vote to Sustain Current Tax Rates

Statement

Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN-05) issued the following statement in response to last night's vote by the House of Representatives to prevent the tax increases scheduled to occur on January 1, 2011:

"I am pleased that the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan tax package worked out between Congressional Republicans and President Obama. Hoosier families and businesses simply could not afford the crushing tax increases scheduled to take effect on January 1st. However, this bill was far from perfect. I would have preferred a permanent extension of the current tax rates; and would have insisted upon using unspent stimulus and TARP funds to pay for the extension of unemployment benefits and would have preferred that we not tinker with the Social Security Trust Fund. However, at the end of the day I supported this compromise bill because I felt it would have been irresponsible to play political chicken with a disastrous tax hike at the expense of the American people who have already suffered enough in these difficult economic times.

"But rest assured, the fight is not over. With this bill we have bought some time; but I pledge to work with my Republican colleagues in the new majority next year to make the lower tax rates permanent and to fundamentally reform our tax code to provide the long-term tax certainty for businesses and families to create jobs and to spark a sustainable, broad-based economic recovery."

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