CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE PROMOTES PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS TAX PLAN
Washington, DC - Progressive Caucus Vice Chair Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) today called on Congress to enact the
Caucus' American People's Dividend plan, which will provide a $300 per person refundable tax rebate to every American.
The Progressive Caucus plan would help low-income families, as well as African American and Hispanic families, much more
than President Bush's proposal. Many families with children - and
especially minority families - would receive no tax credit at all
under President Bush's tax plan.
"President Bush states that the average American family would receive $1,600 under this tax plan. But while some wealthy
families will receive tens of thousands of dollars of tax relief, others will receive absolutely nothing," said Lee.
Many minority families will receive a disproportionately small
amount of tax relief in the Bush tax plan. This is primarily because
they have no income tax liability before the Earned Income Tax Credit
is computed. However, these families pay many other
taxes, such as payroll taxes, and deserve the same tax benefits as
every other family.
"An estimated 12 million low- and middle-income families with
children - about 31% of all families - will get no relief whatsoever
from the Bush tax plan," said Lee. "Even more worrisome is that fact
that more than half of African American and Hispanic
children live in families that will get absolutely nothing from the
Bush plan. In contrast, all of them would receive $300 per person
from the Progressive Caucus American People's Dividend."
Rep. Lee pledged to work to include the American People's Dividend program in any tax legislation that moves through Congress
this year.
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