Tisei And Romney Wrong On Taxes

Peabody, MA—In a video released yesterday, Mitt Romney was shown telling wealthy donors that people who support President Obama don’t pay any taxes and that his job was "not to worry about those people."  In a hastily-called press conference, Romney later doubled down on his remarks, indicating his belief that "47% of the country" who support President Obama do not pay taxes. 

Richard Tisei has in fact made almost identical comments about middle-class families and how he believed they were not paying their fair share, and should pay more:

In an interview with NECN Tisei said, “50% of the people in the country don’t pay any tax so we have a tax code that needs to be totally reformed” [NECN, 11/16/11].

The fact is that most Americans pay payroll taxes, not to mention sales tax, gas tax, and property taxes. The Romney-Tisei right-wing talking point was given "Three Pinocchios" today by the Washington Post Fact Checker. The Tisei-Romney numbers include many seniors on fixed incomes and families eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, which was a bi-partisan piece of legislation to help working families.

 It is clear that Tisei shares the same right-wing view as Romney, because he is using the same skewed right-wing talking points when it comes to taxes.  Inspired by the Tea Party, Romney and Tisei embrace the same radical anti-government agenda. The video of Romney reveals a window into the ideology shared by Tisei and the right-wing Republicans in Congress:

• Tisei and Romney both think that the middle class Americans do not pay enough in taxes and want to legislate a tax hike on the middle class in the form of the Ryan Budget, which would cost middle class families in Massachusetts thousands more a year [NECN, 11/16/11].

•   Tisei and Romney both want to give more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, while forcing middle class families and seniors to pay for them.

“Mitt Romney’s comments matter in this race, because Richard Tisei agrees with Romney’s extreme view on taxes,” said Tierney spokesperson Grant Herring. “Romney’s words reflect the core of the Tea Party agenda that Richard Tisei supports. Voters will reject the Romney-Tisei ticket because they understand that together they will end Medicare, repeal health care reform, and raise taxes on the middle class. The hard working people of the 6th District don’t deserve to see a tax hike.”