Washington,
Mar 15, 2007 -
Congressman Patrick McHenry stood with members of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) in the U.S. Capitol and announced a fiscal reform agenda titled the American Taxpayer Bill of Rights. The proposal simplifies the tax code, protects Social Security, balances the budget without raising taxes, and restricts government spending.
"The American Taxpayer Bill of Rights represents the first opportunity during this new Congress for true, bipartisan collaboration to benefit every taxpayer in our nation," said Congressman McHenry. "In 34 of the last 38 years, the federal government spent more than it made and right now we're looking at a $123 billion deficit. Balancing the budget requires greater fiscal restraint, not higher taxes - especially since our nation received $2.4 trillion in tax revenue last year, which is the largest amount in history. "
McHenry went on to say, "Additionally, I don't know one person who fully understands our tax code, which is 7 times longer than the Bible. Here's the solution - let's scrap the whole thing and start over with a simpler, more comprehensible system."
The American Taxpayer Bill of Rights declares that American taxpayers have:
* The right to a government that doesn't grow faster than their ability to pay for it. - The proposal requires that the growth in government is held to a level that can be sustained and is equivalent to the growth American families experience.
* The right to receive back each dollar that they entrust to the government for their retirement. - The proposal would prevent Congress from spending the Social Security trust fund on anything other than Social Security.
* The right to a simple, fair tax code that they can understand. - The proposal sunsets all 7,000 pages of the tax code by 01/01/11. This would give us a fresh start to create a fairer, simpler tax system.
* The right to expect the government to balance the budget without having their taxes raised. - The proposal calls for a constitutional amendment that requires Congress to balance the budget every year, and require a super majority in Congress to raise taxes.
