For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 17, 2001
Radio Address by the President to the Nation
The Oval Office
Listen to the President's
Remarks
THE
PRESIDENT: Good morning. For several months,
economic indicators have pointed toward a slowdown, and now many
Americans are beginning to feel its impact in your
lives. The stock market is causing worries; high energy
prices are straining family budgets; and some American workers and
small business people have been directly affected by layoffs and
slowing retail sales.
We have
been hearing too much troubling economic news. It is time
for the United States Congress to give Americans some good economic
news: tax relief for everyone who pays income taxes.
This would
be good news for families struggling to pay off debt and to save for
the future. It would be good news for small businesses that
need customers with money to spend. And it would be good
news for our broader economy; good news for economic growth and job
creation and consumer confidence.
The House
of Representatives has already passed a large part of my tax relief
plan. Now it is up to the Senate. It is only
common sense to give our economy a boost in a slowdown. Yet
tax relief is more than common sense; it is a matter of
principle. My tax relief plan is also a tax reform
plan. It corrects some of the worst, most unfair abuses in
our current tax system. And I would be recommending these
changes in any economic circumstance.
On
principle, our tax code should reward hard work and overtime by men and
women struggling to enter the middle class. Right now they
face some of the highest marginal rates in the tax code. So
we lower those rates to encourage their dreams.
On
principle, our tax code should honor family. That's why we
double the per-child tax credit and reduce the marriage penalty.
On
principle, no one in America should have to pay more than a third of
their paycheck to the federal government. So we reduce tax
rates for everyone in every bracket.
On
principle, every family, every farmer and small business person should
be free to pass on their life's work to those they love. So
we abolish the death tax.
These are
not Republican principles, or Democratic principles. These are
principles that are shared by Americans in both parties, and Americans
in no party. This is the reason my tax relief plan has so
much momentum. Americans want our tax code to be reasonable
and simple and fair. These are goals that unite our country,
and these are goals that have shaped my plan.
The Senate
should act quickly on my plan for two good reasons: First, tax relief
is good news for our economy, which needs some good news. Second, my
tax reform plan will treat everyone fairly.
If you
agree with me, I hope you'll tell your senator that you
agree. Together we can help make our nation more prosperous
and our tax system more fair.
Thank you
for listening.
END
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