Sherrod Brown: “the Republicans passed a bill last week which will provide a $90,000 tax cut to the Nation's millionaires, but let us…”

“the Republicans passed a bill last week which will provide a $90,000 tax cut to the Nation's millionaires, but let us look at what else it does. The independent Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center estimates that making the earned income tax credit marriage penalty relief effective this year would have offered an average tax cut of $340 to 4 million working American families. But the President decided to make them wait until 2008 for the marriage penalty relief he offered their more affluent neighbors. House Republican leadership had several opportunities to correct the President's mistake and restore fairness to the tax bill, but they decided to cut working families loose. So that is $90,000 for millionaires, not a cent for working lower-income families. The gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, said, ``If you are not going to incentivize marriage, at the very least make sure you don't punish it.'' The gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the House majority leader, said, ``A country founded on freedom should not maintain a tax code that arbitrarily places an extra burden on husbands and wives.'' Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), said, ``We need a tax code that doesn't punish married couples. They don't need the Federal Government picking their pocket.'' $90,000 for a millionaire, but nothing for married, poor, or working families.”