Today, Speaker of the House John Boehner released the following column discussing House Republicans' commitment to encouraging private-sector job growth without tax hikes:
"Recently, we learned our economy still isn’t creating enough jobs. The latest unemployment figures from the U.S. Department of Labor showed an increase in our national unemployment rate to 9.2% and dismal job growth. This recent report is evidence that the Democrats' policies - the misguided ‘stimulus’ spending binge, excessive regulations, and overwhelming national debt - continue to hold back private-sector job creation in our country. Now, those same Democrats are lobbying for a tax-our-way-out solution. But House Republicans understand that raising taxes on job creators will only make things worse.
"The Labor Department says unemployment benefit applications have topped 400,000 for 12 straight weeks. With figures such as these, how can anyone possibly say that the Democrats' policies have worked? It is time to implement new policies that will take our country in a different direction and increasing taxes is not the answer.
"Washington’s spending problem has continuously created uncertainty among private-sector job creators. Instead of cutting spending and getting our fiscal house in order, the Democrats who run Washington want to increase taxes to help pay for their out-of-control spending. But raising taxes on the job creators we are counting on to invest and expand is simply backwards.
"Recently, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office’s director, Douglas Elmendorf, told the House Budget Committee that 'higher marginal tax rates do reduce economic activity to some extent by views of most economists.' Reducing economic activity through higher taxes can only hurt job creation. It is not a solution to our economic woes.
"As Stanford economist John B. Taylor put it 'it would be very harmful to have a tax rate increase' because 'the more you tax something, the less you get of it.'
"House Republicans understand that with excessive regulations, overwhelming national debt, and government spending there are already enough disincentives for small businesses to invest and grow. Raising taxes on the very people that we expect to invest in our economy and create jobs is the wrong policy to get our country back on track.
"By stopping Washington from spending money it doesn’t have, making serious changes to the way we spend taxpayer dollars, and stopping tax increases, we will help our job creators get back to doing what they do best – creating jobs. And we are hopeful that our Democratic counterparts will join us and support policies that will do something big for our economy and help get Americans back to work.
"I have listened to your calls, emails, and comments, and I know that the majority of Americans agree that tax hikes would hurt job creation. According to a recent national survey, Americans said that job growth would best be revived through cuts in government spending and cuts in taxes – solutions included in the Republican job creation plan.
"If we truly want to get America working again, Washington must not raid the pocketbooks of the very individuals we are encouraging to take a risk and create jobs.
"House Republicans are going to continue to support job growth in America instead of continuing the failed policies of the past. I encourage you to review the details in our jobs agenda at GOP.Jobs.Gov.
Speaker Boehner represents Ohio’s 8th District, which includes all of Darke, Miami, and Preble counties, most of Butler and Mercer counties, and the northeastern corner of Montgomery County. He was first elected to Congress in 1990.
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