SenatorOrrinHatch

"I Do Not Want to Raise Taxes." In a speech on the Senate floor today, US Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee (R-Utah), slammed the Obama Administration's decision to raise taxes by cutting tax expenditures to achieve deficit reduction, will be a "bull's eye on the backs of middle class American families." This speech is the third in a series Hatch has delivered on so-called tax expenditures. Below are excerpts from Senator Hatch's speech. "Getting rid of those tax breaks would raise $21 billion over ten years. Yet this year, we have a projected budget deficit of $1.6 trillion. Last week, I came under fire for stating what I thought to be a relatively non-controversial fact. Here is what I said. In 2009, 51 percent of Americans had zero or negative income tax liability. Here's what that means. In 2009, only 49 of tax units shouldered 100 percent of the nation's tax burden. And 51 percent of tax units either owed nothing to the IRS, or better yet, got money back from the IRS in excess of their tax liability. This should be no less controversial than saying the sun rises in the east. This is not conjecture. It is demonstrable fact. Yet, it apparently touched a nerve, because last week, after raising this issue on the Senate floor, MSNBC and the liberal blogosphere — presumably armed with talking points from the Senate Democratic war room — went ballistic, suggesting that I wanted to balance the budget by raising taxes on the poor. I am not surprised, but this ... From: SenatorOrrinHatch Views: 114 3 ratings Time: 03:36 More in News & Politics