tax cut my ass
 

Here We Go Again: Bush Exaggerates Tax Cuts

The President can?t keep his figures straight. And most people are getting less than he implies.

February 20, 2004

Modified: February 20, 2004

Summary

President Bush stumbled Feb. 19, saying the average tax cut is $1,089. The White House corrected that figure to $1,586. But the fact is that most Americans won't see anywhere near either of those amounts.

As we've said before when disputing equally misleading lowball figures given by Howard Dean, half of all individuals and families will get less than $470, and half will get more. The ?average? is misleading because it is inflated by very large cuts given to a relative few at the top.
Analysis

Now that the general election campaign is nearing, President Bush has resumed a sales pitch for the tax cuts he's signed. But he persists in making some misleading claims.

At a 24-minute appearance in the White House complex on Feb. 19, the President wrongly stated that "everybody who pays taxes" is getting a cut, which is not true:

Bush: We cut the taxes on everybody who pays taxes. I don't think it makes sense for tax-cutters to say, okay, you win, and you lose. My attitude was, if you pay taxes, you ought to get relief. And we cut all taxes,

In fact, all taxes were not cut and millions who pay only federal payroll taxes got no benefit from Bush's cuts.

It is true that everybody who paid federal income taxes is getting a cut. But according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center , 35.6 million individuals and families got zero benefit from the Bush cuts because their income was so low they were not paying federal income taxes before the cuts. This number includes 15.1 million workers who are paying federal payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare. That's 15 million "taxpayers" who were left out.

The President also bobbled the numbers when describing the average size of the cut. Here's the official White House transcript of what he said, which was wrong, along with the footnotes inserted later by the White House staff to correct the record:

Bush: The tax relief we passed, 11 million* taxpayers this year will save $1,086* off their taxes. . . .

(* 111 million taxpayers will save, on average, $1,586 off their taxes.)

The $1,586 figure is indeed an accurate statement of the average cut received by those who are getting a cut, according to the Treasury Department. However, it is far from typical.

For one thing, the figure does not take into account the 25% of all individuals and families who are receiving zero tax cut this year. It is an average only of those who are getting some cut. When those who get nothing are added in the average cut drops to $1,217, according to the Tax Policy Center.

I think richest would pay more and cut should apply for those who earns less..

Samuel

makes sense

How could it not be obvious to you that people who don't pay taxes don't get tax cuts? Are you saying that those people who don't pay taxes should get paid by the government for no reason?
:1orglaugh

In an ideal world yeah. But the rich help fund the election candidates and therefor get alot of tax breaks that they shouldnt.
Once your in office you're expected to return the favor.

Polititians are FUCKING LIARS...............You havent figured that one out yet ?:winkwink:

People that dont pay any taxes dont need a tax cut.

George Bush lied? Say it isn't so...:1orglaugh

I agree. Why the fuck would there be a tax break for someone that doesn't pay taxes??? Those of us that pay out a shit load every year should not get a break, but the person that doesn't make enough (for whatever reason) to even pay a federal tax should get paid for that? Bullshit.

Funny I bet all of you who make over $75K a year arent complaining about the tax cuts when you file your return. And for those of you who arent in that tax bracket but want to be there. Please stfu, you will want those tax breaks.

In an ideal world that would make sense, but not in our free soceity where the rich get richer and the poor struggle to live in our ever inflating society.

Word

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh