Rod Grams: “Mr. President, I rise to strongly support Senator Hutchinson's amendment to terminate the tax code. I commend his…”

“Mr. President, I rise to strongly support Senator Hutchinson's amendment to terminate the tax code. I commend his leadership and his persistence in advocating what is real tax reform. Mr. President, more than 200 years ago, our ancestors staged a tea party and revolted against their mother country to protest the imposition of unfair taxes. Today, taxes imposed by our own government are unfair by any standard. Had our ancestors faced a tax system as punitive as ours has become, they might very well have jumped into the harbor along with the tea. Americans today are working harder but taking home less of their pay. Why? In excess of $1.7 trillion of their income is siphoned off to Uncle Sam each year. In 1997, total taxes--federal, state, and local-- claiming a record 38.2 percent of a typical family's income. Nearly 40 percent of everything the average family made went to support government. Nearly 4 hours of every 8-hour working day are dedicated just to paying taxes. The total tax burden borne by the American taxpayer in 1998 is the highest in U.S. history. We are being taxed at a higher level today than at any time in history, including World War II and other conflicts. The tax code must be terminated because the earnings, spending, and savings of the American people are taxed over and over to squeeze more money out of their pockets to line the pockets of government.”