Delaware Democratic Party

In the upcoming elections voters will have to choose between two completely different views on how to build our economy. Democrats believe the richest 2% must pay their fair share of taxes while extending tax cuts for middle class families.  A recent Republican proposal would eliminate important tax credits for working-class families in order to give large tax cuts to those who need them the least. Mitt Romney supports that idea – his tax plan would establish tax breaks for the wealthy that are so large, that to pay for them, he’d have to slash some of the most important tax benefits for the middle class. According to nonpartisan tax experts, if Mitt Romney were to pay for his $5 trillion tax plan skewed to the wealthiest, he would have to raise taxes on millions of middle-class families. Under Romney’s plan, families who have children and make less than $200,000 would see their taxes go up an average of more than $2,000.

Representative John Carney, Senators Chris Coons, and Tom Carper all voted to extend tax cuts and other tax breaks for the middle class and low income families while allowing tax rates on the richest 2% to rise. These votes represent a choice to promote fairness in the tax code and are in stark contrast to the republican tax plan. Carper, Coons, and Carney refuse to allow middle class families to suffer under the failed Republican ‘trickle-down’ economic philosophy.

Senator Coons heralded the democratic legislation as “the best chance we've got at retaining these important tax credits and opportunities for the working poor, while bringing some sanity to the rates at the highest end and asking those who have benefited the most to contribute to solving our problems.” But Carper, Carney, nor Coons, believes this is a good substitute for a long-term comprehensive tax reform bill that our nation truly needs. They all called for passage of such legislation that would responsibly reduce the budget deficit, promote greater fairness in the tax code and help the economy in the short and long term. President Obama has a plan to prevent a tax hike on the middle class that enacts spending cuts and reforms and asks the wealthiest to pay their fair share again so we can reduce our deficit in a balanced way.