Congressman Roskam must rescind false tax issue job loss claim

By Walt Zlotow

 

 

We expect our Congressmen to engage in a certain amount of hyperbole in their self serving communications with their constituents. However, my Congressman Peter Roskam's latest email to constituents titled "This is small business America" is beyond the pale and must be rescinded. His charge that the President's proposed tax increase "could cost as many as 700,000 jobs" is unsubstantiated hype that has no basis in fact. It is a blatant scare tactic designed to deceive low information voters and placate his wealthy base which has made very clear that continued support depends on keeping the trillions in tax cuts they received since 2001. Besides that scurrilous claim, Roskam omits the fact that the President's tax proposal contains tax cuts for 100% of taxpayers including 100% of all businesses, large and small. For 98% of taxpayers, including 97% of small business owners, his tax plan covers 100% of their income. For the remaining 2% of taxpayers, including 3% of small business owners, they enjoy current tax rates on the first $250,000 of income. Over that very generous amount they will pay a modest higher tax rate to bring long overdue fairness to our tax system that has been skewed to the wealthiest Americans for eleven years now. During that time, massive income disparity between that favored upper 2% and the remaining Americans has widened to the biggest disparity since the period before and leading up to the Great Depression.

We do not know the income of the family owned Gorski Engineering Roskam says will see their taxes increase, but if they fall within the 97% of small businesses making under $250,000, they will pay not an extra penny in tax. If they are in that golden 3% making over $250,000, they will not pay a penny of extra tax on the first $250,000 of income. Roskam also states that their 17 employees will also pay more tax. Are we to believe that each of those 17 employees makes over $250,000 yearly? If so, why do they need Roskam to shill for their extravagant life style at the expense of the middle class being sunk by the tax and wealth disparity Roskam champions to retain his wealthy base. Those of us who truly care about the entire society instead of just the wealthy, will continue to scrutinize Roskam's communications and hold up a mirror to his misstatements. The Congressman is in denial if he ignores the roughly two thirds of the electorate who favor increased tax rates for those most able to pay but who have engorged on unneeded tax cuts for over a decade. Congressman Roskam should resend this email without the false charges but including the facts that he so feverishly works to hide. It will make Congressman Roskam's work on our behalf a lot easier. He won't have to remember what he said.