Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I support the Paying a Fair Share Act because it will help bring fairness to our Tax Code. In large part because of the irresponsible policies of President George W. Bush, the very wealthiest taxpayers have seen their tax rates drop by half over the last 50 years, even as their incomes have skyrocketed. The Tax Code has become so out-of-balance that one in four millionaires pays a lower tax rate than do millions of middle-class families, and in 2011 an estimated 7,000 millionaires paid no Federal income tax at all. Responsible millionaires understand that a fair tax system is in our country's best interest. One Californian, Andy Rappaport, told my staff that over the past 8 years, his average Federal tax rate has been only 16 percent after charitable contributions. Meanwhile, working families making $60,000 to $100,000 per year pay average Federal tax rates of 17 or 18 percent. Mr. Rappaport said: ``Those of us who are doing unprecedentedly well have built our success on a foundation of widespread well being and opportunity, not to mention adequate investments in education, research, and infrastructure. . . . It's not fair to ask those who make less than us to do without or to shoulder more than their share of our national investment burden.'' California entrepreneur Garrett Gruener wrote in the Los Angeles Times: ``For nearly the last decade, I've paid income taxes at the lowest rates of my professional career. . . .…”