Political Quotes

“I do. Mr. Speaker, this is a very important ruling. It is the first one that the Chair has had to make on the new rule XXI that requires an extraordinary vote on a tax rate increase. The language, as I understand it, is when the Federal tax rate increase applies we need a three-fifths vote. If I understand the potential ruling of the Chair, if the Chair rules that this bill does not raise a rate and therefore does not need an extraordinary vote, what the Chair is saying is that legislation which subjects a larger percentage of a taxpayer's income to an existing tax rate would not be a tax rate increase under the provisions of rule XXI. That would mean that we could effectively raise tax rates in this country by just subjecting a larger amount of a person's income to the tax rate, thereby accomplishing the effect of a tax rate increase under the potential ruling of the Chair without raising the rate. I just really want to point that out to the Chair before he makes his ruling, because effectively if he rules against the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Moran] rule XXI is meaningless.”