LIBERAL LAWMAKER CLAIMS HIS TAX INCREASE IS REALLY A “SWAP”
|| By FITSNEWS || Fiscally liberal establishment “Republican” Tom Rice has introduced legislation to raise the federal gas tax by ten cents per gallon.
Rice claims his bill is “revenue neutral” because it includes a $133 income tax credit for drivers – which he says would offset the additional money they spent at the pump over the course of the year.
“We have enough revenue already,” Rice told The Hill. “Our measure moves money from the general fund into the highway trust fund. It would raise the gas tax by about 10 cents-per-gallon, which would cost the average driver about $130 per year. It would be offset by a $133 income tax credit, so it’s revenue-neutral.”
The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon. Rice’s bill would raise that to 28.4 cents per gallon – and allow for annual increases in future years based on inflation.
Hold up … if Rice wants to transfer money from one fund to another, why pass “revenue neutral” legislation? Why not just move the money in the budget?
Seriously … why further complicate the tax code and waste time and resources shuffling money from one pocket to the other? While at the same time imposing new obligations on drivers?
We don’t get it …
Do we trust Rice that his proposal is really “revenue-neutral” (a.k.a. a tax swap)? Hell no. Not even a little bit.
Establishment “Republicans” have proven they can’t be trusted with the budget – and Rice’s proposed tax swap strikes us as more of the same “smoke and mirrors” that’s steadily increased Americans’ tax burden while ballooning our national debt.
Along with fellow fiscal liberal Joe Wilson and conservative sellout Mark Sanford, Rice has been casting terrible votes in the U.S. House this year – most notably supporting “Republican” leadership in its special interest-driven push to grant president Barack Obama new trade powers.
Endorsed by S.C. governor Nikki Haley during his successful 2012 race, Rice was billed as a “businessman who will rein in Washington spending,” and “make government smaller.”
“I know what Tom Rice will do,” Haley said in endorsing Rice. “He’ll fight for us. He’ll make sure that he does the right thing and he’ll support us as we continue to fight the issues in Washington.”
That hasn’t happened. Rice started selling out immediately … and hasn’t stopped.
16 comments
If Congressman Rice wants a ‘revenue neutral’ tax bill, he should step up and cosponsor HR-25, the FAIRtax bill. He can join the over SIX DOZEN others in congress that can see that abolishing the IRS and shifting the paradigm from taxing profits and wages to taxing consumption would attract trillions in offshore investment capital to our shores and allow small business start-ups to no longer have the complexity and cost of reporting the lack of taxable income to the gov’t… letting them instead focus on growing their business and hiring people.
Come’on Tom… instead of adding to existing taxes, how about replacing a BAD revenue collection system with a simple flat consumption tax?
Rice is an embarrassment. A complete fool who doesn’t even know the facts before he shoots off his big mouth.
The Feds already take more of the Federal Gas Taxes from South Carolina and gives them to other States than SC gets back. Giving away more of our money to other States is just plain Stupid. If Rice wants a gas tax, make it in South Carolina only. At least that way, SC gets to keep all the money.
I live in Rice’s Congressional district and in fact, voted for him in the last election. The Democrats actually were able to find someone to run against him that was much worse, Gloria Bromell Tinubu.
The Republicans need to rid themselves of such Rino’s as Rice. The Republicans desperately need some valid competition against him in the Republican Primary. Holding power by relying on the “inertia on the incumbency” is not a good political strategy. But, then again, opposition like Tinubu negates any reason for getting rid of him.
The voters of Dist. 7 had the opportunity to elect a great South Carolinian to that job. Andre’ Bauer would have joined Trey Gaudy and the rest of the conservative wing of our delegation in doing what is right. All that time , money and effort wasted to elect this POS moderate.
Yes, I voted for Bauer in the Republican primary in 2012. Unfortunately, he did not make it.
Bauer needs to slow down, and take a look at 2016, does he still live in the Seventh district?
Bauer for a dogcatcher. Big crook
He now lives in Charleston, but has business interests in the district, and (obviously) “keeps his hand in” here politically through his man Specter.
Thanks, I lost track of him.
False.
^^^ Convicted felon Jay Specter, who would give Andre rim jobs three times a day if he asked for them.
I’m out of the loop down that way. What did Specter do ?
Nothing.Boz is just lying about and libeling Bauer as he apparently continues his stalking behavior toward Tom Rice and his family…check this out from Boz as he was harassing Rice and his wife at a church…provoking ‘abject terror’ as Boz puts it:
“Can you spell RICO, Tom? Because your role in that “Grand Scam” has reportedly not been ignored in the ongoing the fed probe – along with that of a certain CCU/MBACC lobbyist and real estate associate tied to the clearly-related world-wide pushing of a certain “service” here locally providing “distressed hotel asset relief.”
I remember very well the look in your wife’s eyes when I discussed this kind of stuff with y’all at that event at Mt Olive church back in 2010. You managed to stay cool as a cucumber throughout, and your south end tool Mary Henry was kind of bug-eyed as she hung on every word, but I glanced at Mrs. Rice and she had a look of abject terror in her eyes.”
He was even stupid enough to apparently libel a ‘certain CCU/MBACC lobbyist’
who successfully won a judgement against TSN and its reporter in the above comment.
Boz once falsely accused the current mayor of MB of apparently hiding a DUI. Don’t believe a word he shits out of his mouth.
Tinubu was way better than Rice.
I was shocked by his lame performance in their debates. I thought that a prominent local attorney would be able to do better than just parrot non-responsive GOP talking points in response to every single question. He was a terrible candidate. Proof that all you need to get elected in certain quarters of SC is that “R” after your name.
Tinabu is a Green Peace marxist, Boz loves her.Atlanta even ran her out of town.
“Why not just move the money in the budget?”
My guess is that those in control of the budget process won’t allow it, so he’s trying to codify it.
Of course, I normally lean towards your thinking…that all pols are self serving….but today I decided to give 1 pol the benefit of the doubt….I’ll probably regret it.
We need to get rid of Haley and these pseudo Republicans.