Haley Stevens: “Mr. President, yesterday, May 2, was Tax Freedom Day in Alaska. Next Tuesday will be the National Tax Freedom Day. That…”

“Mr. President, yesterday, May 2, was Tax Freedom Day in Alaska. Next Tuesday will be the National Tax Freedom Day. That is the day we quit working for governments--whether it is Federal, State, or local government--and start working for our children, for ourselves, for our families. For the period from January 1 to May 2, in Alaska we have to take what we earn, literally, and pay it to one of those governments. I think it was especially difficult for middle-income Americans to make their checks out to the Internal Revenue Service this year because the tax cut that Congress approved to reduce taxes for families was vetoed by President Clinton. The Balanced Budget Act that Congress passed cut taxes for low- and middle-income taxpayers. It would have reduced the tax burden on married couples and allowed homemakers to save for their retirement with an individual retirement account. Congress also provided a $500-per-child tax credit. If President Clinton had signed our bill into law, many Americans who had filed their tax returns on April 15 would be getting a tax refund now, instead of having to have made the payment they did make on April 15.”