Walter Dalton is attacking Bob Etheridge for supporting Barack Obama in Congress.
“Walter Dalton said, ‘Bob Etheridge voted to keep the Bush tax breaks …’”
Dalton’s campaign mailed to households in Wake County, Mecklenburg County and presumably elsewhere in the state, a direct mail piece – WDNCP2 — by Presort Standard Postage. The piece arrived via the U.S. Postal Service in Raleigh on Thursday, May 3, 2012 – just five days before the May 8 Democratic Primary. The mailer contains the disclaimer “Paid for by Dalton for Governor.”
This mailer makes the following attack against Bob Etheridge:
“In Congress, Bob Etheridge voted to keep the Bush tax breaks for the richest 1% and protect billions in giveaways to Big Oil and other big corporate special interests. [HR 4853, 12/17/2010]”
“Bob Etheridge opposes the Bush tax breaks for the wealthy and special interests.”
As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Bob Etheridge voted at least seven times against “Bush tax breaks for the wealthy and special interests.”
The first part of the Bush Tax Cuts became law in 2001 after Bob Etheridge voted against them three times. The bill was initially H.R. 3, but passed into law as H.R. 1836.
| 3/8/2001 | H.R. 3 Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 230 – 198 (Roll No. 45). |
| 5/16/2001 | H.R. 1836 Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 230 – 197 (Roll no. 118). |
| 5/26/2001 | H.R. 1836 Conference report agreed to in House: On agreeing to the conference report Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 240 – 154 (Roll no. 149). |
The second part of the Bush Tax Cuts became law in 2003 after Bob Etheridge voted against them twice.
| 5/9/2003 | H.R. 2 Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by recorded vote: 222 – 203 (Roll no. 182). |
| 5/23/2003 | H.R. 2 Conference report agreed to in House: On agreeing to the conference report Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 231 – 200 (Roll no. 225). |
Some provisions of the Bush tax cuts were due to expire in 2005. Bob Etheridge voted “Nay” twice on H.R. 4297, which extended them:
| 12/8/2005 | Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 234 – 197 (Roll no. 621). |
| 5/10/2006 | Conference report agreed to in House: On agreeing to the conference report Agreed to by recorded vote: 244 – 185 (Roll no. 135). |
“But he supported President Obama’s compromise to keep them for two more years, in order to preserve middle class tax cuts and extend unemployment benefits.”
HR 4853, Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, was voted on in the U.S. House on December 17, 2010.
The bill, strongly supported by President Obama, was a compromise with the Republicans in the House and its passage helped prevent a shutdown of the federal government. The compromise bill did extend the existing tax code, including the middle class tax cuts, extended unemployment insurance tax relief for millions of North Carolina families, provided estate tax relief, and expanded the Child Tax Credit which preserved benefits for nearly 600,000 children in the state.
Bob Etheridge was asked to vote for HR 4853 to break the stalemate and prevent a government shutdown. In voting for this bill, Congressman Etheridge agreed with the President, who said at the time, “It’s not perfect (but) we cannot play politics at a time when the American people are looking for us to solve problems.”
What did HR 4853 do?
The legislation provided help to many of those struggling in the economic downturn, including by:
- Ensuring the continued availability of unemployment benefits for 99 weeks for those out of work through no fault of their own in the economic downturn; and
- Providing estate tax relief for thousands of family farmers and others facing increased estate taxes.
For individuals, the bill provided a wide-range of tax reductions, including by:
- Extending reduced rates for all families, lowering the tax burden for the average family about $ 1,460;
- Extending the payroll tax holiday, a 2% reduction of taxes that meant $ 1,000 more in salary for a worker earning $ 50,000;
- Expanding the Child Tax Credit, preserving benefits for nearly 600,000 children in North Carolina;
- Increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), ensuring 213,000 families in North Carolina remained eligible;
- Increasing marriage-penalty relief;
- Preventing the Alternative Minimum Tax from affecting nearly 22 million taxpayers; and
- Extending the American Opportunity Tax Credit to help families pay for college.
For businesses, the bill provided incentives for investments and targeted tax credits, including by:
- Extending the Research and Experimentation tax credit, to reward those who invest in new technologies and development, the precise kind of company North Carolina’s new economy is built upon;
- Preserving incentives for investing in equipment, property, and supplies, to make sure businesses are able to continue to invest in rebuilding our economy; and
- Helping business hire veterans and other targeted groups with the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.
