51% Support Tax Cuts For Everyone

[red states rule]

The good news is Republicans seem to be getting the message out that tax increases will harm the economy

The bad news is Republicans are ready to cave to Dems and punish success by raising taxes on the producers




A majority (51%) of U.S. voters now support extending the so-called Bush tax cuts for all Americans including the wealthy, even as the House Republican leader indicates he is willing to compromise with President Obama and not include wealthy taxpayers in the tax cut extension.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of Likely Voters believe the tax cuts should be extended for everyone but the wealthy. The question does not define “wealthy,” but the president reiterated in a press conference on Friday that he thinks the tax cuts should be ended for individuals who earn more than $200,000 per year and families that make more than $250,000.

In early August, 48% favored extending the tax cuts which are scheduled to expire at the end of the year to all Americans, while 40% said they should be extended for everyone except the wealthy.

Thirty-five percent (35%) believe increasing taxes for those making more than $250,000 would be good for the economy. Forty percent (40%) disagree and say such a tax hike would be bad for the economy. Fifteen percent (15%) say it would have no impact. These numbers are little changed from the previous survey.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/taxes/september_2010/51_favor_extending_bush_tax_cuts_for_the_wealthy

[red states rule]

It is refreshing to see some Republicans with a spine






Senate G.O.P. Digs In to Keep Tax Cuts

WASHINGTON — The Senate Republican leader proposed legislation on Monday to continue all of the Bush-era tax cuts indefinitely, testing the willingness of Democrats to allow a tax increase on the wealthiest Americans in a weak economy and making clear that a partisan fight will extend deep into the campaign season if not beyond.

The proposal by the Senate leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, came a day after the House Republican leader, John A. Boehner of Ohio, suggested a potential compromise, saying he would vote for President Obama’s plan to extend the cuts only for households earning less than $250,000 if he had no other choice.

In part, Mr. McConnell’s proposal illustrated the greater leverage that Republicans enjoy in the Senate, where they control 41 seats — enough to filibuster and block any bill. While Mr. Boehner cannot stop House Democrats from forcing a vote on the president’s favored tax plan, Mr. McConnell made clear that he would have a say and that he wanted to put a handful of wavering Senate Democrats on the spot.

But Mr. McConnell’s position also served as a political counterweight to Mr. Boehner’s statement on Sunday, which suggested that some Republicans wanted to avoid a brawl in which they would be cast as blocking tax relief for the middle class to ensure that tax cuts continued for the wealthy. Senate Republicans, by contrast, seem to relish the fight.

Democrats immediately dismissed Mr. McConnell’s plan, noting that he had not offered any way to make up the $700 billion in lost revenue over 10 years that extending the tax breaks at the highest income levels would cost the government.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/us/politics/14cong.html?hp