April 16, 2012

The President and His Secretary: A Study in Tax Demagoguery

By George Harbison
Barack and Michelle Obama's 2011 federal tax returns have now been released, and, not surprisingly, the event has been utilized by the White House to put forth illogical and disingenuous positions regarding the "unfairness" of the federal income tax system.  One item that garnered much press was a statement from White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage, who told ABC News that President Obama's secretary, Anita Decker Breckenridge, "pays a slightly higher rate [than the Obamas' rate] this year on her substantially lower income, which is exactly why we need to reform our tax code and ask the wealthiest to pay their fair share." What is truly unfair is that Ms. Brundage, in verbalizing her (and the Obama administration's) desire to "reform our tax code and ask the wealthiest to pay their fair share," totally ignores the fact that nearly 50% of all federal tax return filers pay no federal income tax whatsoever.  Liberals will respond that many more filers pay "payroll taxes", but in...(Read Full Article)