U.S. Congressman John Boehner

A Fairer, Simpler Tax Code will Create Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) released the following column discussing comprehensive tax reform:

“Every morning, one of the first things I do is check Facebook on my iPad to see what people are posting. One graphic I noticed recently shows a woman sitting at a computer asking ‘I wonder if I can claim Uncle Sam as a dependent on my tax return this year?’

“There’s no question that Americans continue to be frustrated with Washington, and rightfully so. Our government’s spending binge and policies like ObamaCare are increasing costs and making jobs harder to come by. The last thing families can afford are more tax hikes, but every time they turn on the news they are hearing Washington Democrats calling for additional revenue.

“Taxpayers know – and House Republicans agree – that spending is the problem. Wasteful spending has to be cut, and tough decisions need to be made to reduce spending and get the federal government operating within its means.

“That’s why House Republicans passed a balanced budget last month that addresses our spending problem, repeals ObamaCare and its 21 new tax hikes, and also lays the groundwork for a fairer tax code that creates jobs.

“Comprehensive tax reform is long overdue. At four million words and growing, our federal tax code is too complex and too inefficient.

“But it’s not just individuals and families that are hurt by our burdensome tax code. According to the National Federation of Independent Business, small business owners ‘spend nearly 2 billion hours and $18 to $19 billion complying with the tax code.’ Making matters worse, the United States now has the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world.

“President Obama has said that he wants tax reform, but he wants to close loopholes to generate more money for more government spending. In fact, his budget calls for $1.1 trillion dollars in new taxes – beyond the tax hikes that he got at the beginning of the year through the ‘fiscal cliff.’ It also includes new spending, and $8.2 trillion in new debt. Notably, the president’s plan never actually balances the budget.

“Republicans agree that loopholes should be closed, but we believe it should be done as part of tax reform that lowers rates and helps create jobs. Our goals for reform include reducing the tax rate for business income to 25 percent, repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax, and consolidating the individual tax brackets to brackets of 10 and 25 percent.

“House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) has been working tirelessly to produce a framework to achieve a fairer, simpler tax code that closes loopholes and helps bring home jobs that have been driven overseas in recent years. To date, his panel has held more than 20 public hearings, and listened to the concerns and priorities of countless citizens, job creators, and economists.

“House Republicans are committed to building a stronger economy – and we’re going to keep pressing forward with common-sense reform to fix our broken tax code and tackle spending. Ultimately, it’s going to be up to President Obama and his party in the Senate to come together with us to work with us.

“The president calls his budget a ‘compromise budget.’ But tax hikes and $964 billion in new spending are no way to compromise – it’s a step backwards.”

Boehner represents Ohio’s 8th District, which includes all of Butler, Clark, Darke, Miami, and Preble counties, and the southernmost part of Mercer County. He was first elected to Congress in 1990.