Congressional Tax Committee Chief of Staff: Yes, It's a Tax; and Yes, It Will Hit Those Making Under $200,000 Per Year

The Politico:

You knew this was coming. Ranking Republican Chuck Grassley asked a staffer about the penalty for not carrying insurance. "Isn't the penalty here an excise tax and won't it affect people making under $250,000 a year?" he asked Thomas Barthold, the joint tax committee's chief.

"It's structured as a penalty excise tax," Barthold answered. “Yes, we think that some people would be subject to the penalty excise tax when everything shakes out. We would expect that some would have incomes less than $200,000.”

Sensing the political danger of that statement, Baucus suggested that the penalty could be collected through an agency other than the IRS...

Oh well that would make it into not-a-tax, then.

He finished the sentence by saying it would make most sense to collect it as a tax.

Because, you know, it is.

Who is this guy? Well, because the tax laws are too complex for Congressmen to understand, he's the chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation. He's the guy that actually writes tax laws, I guess that makes him. As opposed to Congressmen, who just say "more" or "less."

Here's Rangel and other Dems praising him. So he's not a Republican partisan. And he was elevated to his current post as Chief of Staff this year by Democrats, so obviously the Democrats know he's one of them. They're not handing out sensitive postings to Republicans.

So he just said Obama's a liar.

And then he said, "Boy."

I'm 99.9% sure I said that. He either said "Boy" or "Goy." Either way -- Racial slur.

Thanks to AHFF Geoff.

By the Way: Geoff asks how many people making $200,000 or more per year don't have health insurance already.

Like... 1%? 1% of super-billionaires who self-insure?

In other words, 99% of those hit by the tax (yes, tax) will be making less than $200,000 per year.

You lie.

posted by Ace at 05:59 PM

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