Pathway to Job Creation Through a Simpler, Fairer Tax Code Act of 2012

Floor Speech

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Mr. LANGEVIN. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, today we have the opportunity to talk about our vision for the future and the path our country must set upon in order to remain competitive in the global economy and also to get our fiscal house in order.

The tax reform proposals that we are debating today could not be in starker contrast. Today, I will vote against the Republican plan that is before us, and instead I will vote for the Democratic plan which I believe is a balanced approach to move our country forward. It gives everyone the opportunity to succeed.

Mr. Speaker, this debate is about choices. The Republicans want to give more tax cuts to the wealthy, quite frankly, at the expense of everyone else. Democrats, on the other hand, propose a balanced plan that asks the wealthiest to sacrifice just a little bit more so that we can provide tax relief for the middle class taxpayers, we can bring our debt down, and invest in economic growth. We will protect our most vulnerable. We will repeal the alternative minimum tax. We will discourage tax haven abuse and eliminate the tax breaks that ship jobs and profits overseas.

Far too many of us, Mr. Speaker, have experienced the hardship and loss of employers shuttering their operations in our districts, and we know that when a business closes, it's not just direct jobs that are lost. It is an entire community which is affected. The grocery store has less business, people don't go to the movies, they're not going out to eat at the local diner, they postpone home repairs, and they don't buy that new car. This is as a result of Republican tax policies that have, quite frankly, incentivized companies moving jobs overseas.

Democrats propose to change that. That's why we've made promoting domestic manufacturing such a top priority. We want to rewrite the Tax Code in such a way that it incentivizes job creation here or bringing jobs back from overseas. That means that not only are we going to create jobs in that particular business that comes back to America or that starts up here in our country, but also the ancillary jobs that are created as a result that filter out into the community. Some estimate that for every one job that is created in manufacturing, for example, there's at least four or five jobs that are created in other industries.

We all agree that comprehensive tax reform is urgently needed. Where Democrats and Republicans fundamentally disagree is how we get there. I urge my colleagues to vote against the Republican plan that is before us and vote for the Democratic substitute to reduce our debt, protect the middle class, promote American products that are made by American workers, and invest in our national priorities: infrastructure, education, research, and security. Let's keep America competitive and create jobs the right way, right here at home.

With that, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

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