David Thomas: “Mr. Speaker, in our debate on previous portions of the tax package that became a law last year in which we have…”

“Mr. Speaker, in our debate on previous portions of the tax package that became a law last year in which we have attempted to make particular provisions permanent, the argument has been made that we do not need to do it now. In fact, that argument was made as recently as the rule on this bill. While there may have been some kernel of truth somewhere in the debates over the permanent repeal of the death or estate tax because we cannot control, in normal circumstances, the time of our death, that same argument made against this piece of legislation is an argument that is totally cynical and totally political. Why? Because this is a provision to make permanent that portion of the tax bill that allows people to plan for retirement. Retirement is a voluntary decision, and the voluntariness of it depends to a degree on our ability to have effectively planned ahead of time. The section that is probably most unfair to most Americans is the fact that we are going to keep them in doubt about what they can do with their own money to plan for their retirement.”