Taxes 1999-2000 >Page 1, 2, 3, 4
Tax Reform and Tax Issues 2000
What are the chances of major tax reform in Congress this year,
and where do the Presidential candidates stand on tax
issues?
Tax Reform in Congress
If you liked your Income Tax just the way it was last year, you're
going to love it this year as major tax reform is likely to become another issue to
be avoided by Congress in this election-year session. Here are the major
tax-related bills now before Congress:
H.R. 6
- Marriage Tax Penalty Relief Act of 2000
... to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to eliminate the marriage
penalty by providing that the income tax rate bracket amounts, and the amount of
the standard deduction, for joint returns shall be twice the amounts applicable
to unmarried individuals
Committees: House Ways and Means
Latest Action: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held. Ordered
to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 13
Latest Summary: Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise standard deduction amounts and individual income tax rate bracket amounts, including providing that amounts for married filing jointly categories shall be twice that of amounts for single filers.
Also See... IRS
vs. Newlyweds 
Feature by About.com Tax Guide, Shellie Moore on the much-loathed "marriage
penalty."
H.R.3 :
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reduce individual income tax rates
by 10 percent.
Latest Major Action: 2/3/1999 Referred to House committee
Committees: House Ways and Means
H.R.2990 :
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow individuals greater access
to health insurance through a health care tax deduction, a long-term care
deduction, and other health-related tax incentives, to amend the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide access to and choice in health
care through association health plans, to amend the Public Health Service Act to
create new pooling opportunities for small employers to obtain greater access to
health coverage through HealthMarts, and for other purposes
Latest Major Action: 2/1/2000 Resolving differences / Conference
Committees: House Education and the Workforce; House Commerce; House Ways
and Means
H.R.3081 :
To increase the Federal minimum wage and to amend the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 to provide tax benefits for small businesses, and for other purposes.
Latest Major Action: 1/28/2000 House preparation for floor
Committees: House Education and the Workforce; House Ways and Means
H.J.RES.32 :
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President and the Congress should
join in undertaking the Social Security Guarantee Initiative to strengthen and
protect the retirement income security of all Americans through the creation of
a fair and modern Social Security Program for the 21st century.
Latest Major Action: 3/3/1999 Referred to Senate committee
Committees: House Ways and Means; Senate Finance
H.R.7 :
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow tax-free expenditures from
education individual retirement accounts for elementary and secondary school
expenses, to increase the maximum annual amount of contributions to such
accounts, and for other purposes.
Latest Major Action: 3/1/1999 Referred to House committee
Committees: House Ways and Means
The Presidential Candidates on Tax Issues
On Internet Taxation and the Internet Tax Moratorium
George W. Bush (Republican) -- At the South Carolina Republican Debate, Columbia, SC, 1/7/2000
[George W. Bush on other issues]"I support the moratorium on Internet taxation. And I'll support it for another three to five years, until we know. We've had people on this stage say that e-commerce is going to help mom and pop businesses on the town squares all across America. They may be right. John, you may be right. I don't know and neither do you, and so therefore I think it makes sense to extend the moratorium.
Steve Forbes (Republican) -- From the Forbes 2000 Web Site
[Steve Forbes on other issues]"The Internet is the new frontier of freedom in the digital age. This is why I have proposed a permanent ban on all new domestic Internet taxes and international Internet tariffs. I strongly oppose any effort to impose a national tax system on the Internet as currently under consideration by a number of governors and state officials. We dare not smother this infant of progress in the cradle. We must nurture it and let it grow. It is also time to repeal the Gore Tax on long distance phone service and the 3% federal excise tax on telecommunications that pre-dates World War I."
Al Gore (Democrat) -- New Hampshire Democratic Debate, 1/26/2000
[Al Gore on other issues]"I strongly support a moratorium preventing any taxation of the Internet as negotiations are encouraged between the state and local jurisdictions and the Internet service providers."
John McCain (Republican) -- At the South Carolina Republican Debate, Columbia, SC, 1/7/2000
[John McCain on other issues]"If we had had Internet taxation over the holiday, American citizens would have paid an additional $600 million in taxes. This Internet tax moratorium should be made permanent, it should be made permanent today. The American people are taking advantage of a wonderful new opportunity with this technology. We should do everything we can to encourage it. There was a recent study that showed if we put in this sales tax, that we would have impacted the Internet by as much as 24 percent. The American people deserve to have this tax moratorium made permanent. And anybody who is opposed to it is obviously in support of a massive tax increase."
The Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998
US Representative Chris Cox (R - California) sponsored the Internet Tax Freedom Act that became law in October of 1998. On January 31, 2000, Rep. Cox announced in this press release that he and US Senator Ron Wyden (D - Oregon) would propose legislation to extend the moratorium on e-commerce (Internet) taxation. President Clinton endorsed the Tax Freedom Act and his Administration supports keeping the Internet tax-fee.
On Tax Reform
Bill Bradley (Democrat) -- From the Bill Bradley for President Web Site
[Bill Bradley on other issues]"The best income tax system is the one with the lowest rates and the fewest loopholes. That way, equal incomes pay about equal tax, and those who have more pay a little bit more. The closest we’ve ever been to that is 1986, when we got tax rates down to 28% and 14%, and we got there by eliminating billions of dollars in special interest loopholes. When we eliminated special interest loopholes, we were able to cut taxes rates for all Americans."
Harry Browne (Libertarian) -- From the Harry Browne 2000 Web Site
[Harry Browne on other issues]"A flat tax won’t eliminate the IRS. You might file your return on a postcard, but your friendly IRS agent will still summon you and all your records.. And it’s misleading to think a flat tax or a national sales tax will lower your tax burden. [After exemptions], a tax rate of 30% or more will be required to finance a $1.7 trillion budget. Who’s going to support a 30% tax? The flat tax, sales tax, and IRS reform are con games whose time will never come."
Pat Buchanan (Reform) -- From the Pat Buchanan Web Site
[Pat Buchanan on other issues]"The Era of Big Government is alive & well - this year the federal tax bill will total $1.8 trillion. Enough is enough. With the zeal of our patriot forefathers at Boston Harbor, we must dump our tyrannical 7 million-word tax code & reclaim our economic liberty. This exploitative tax system does not need reform; it needs to be ripped out by the roots. The Buchanan tax plan will restore our resource base, reclaim citizen control of national fiscal policy, & reduce the federal tax collection bureaucracy."
George W. Bush (Republican) -- From his candidacy announcement speech
[George W. Bush on other issues]"I’ll have a plan that reduces marginal rates to create jobs, but a plan that also helps struggling families on the outskirts of poverty. I believe that after we meet priorities, all that remains must be passed back to Americans, so it will not be spent by Washington."
Steve Forbes (Reform) -- From a TV ad, 11/20/99
[Steve Forbes on other issues]"As president I’d propose a new economic plan that would remove this 40 percent tax burden from middle class families. Let’s say you have a family of four, your first $36,000 would be free of federal income tax. And anything you earn above the $36,000 level, you’d pay only 17 cents on the dollar. There also would be no tax on your pensions. No tax on capital gains and no death taxes. Sort of a new principle of taxation. No taxation without respiration."
Al Gore (Democrat) -- New Primary Hampshire Debate, 1/5/2000
[Al Gore on other issues]"And I think that it's been proven to be correct. And of course, I now think that one of the biggest issues in this campaign is whether or not we will have a president with the experience to keep our prosperity going, and avoid a kind of economic blue print that either blows the whole surplus on a risky tax scheme or blows the whole surplus on an unwise plan and doesn't leave room for investing in the future in the kind of investments that have helped to contribute to this prosperity."
Alan Keyes (Republican) -- Arizona GOP Debate, 12/7/99
[Alan Keyes on other issues]"The present tax system, which allows you to escape taxation if you’re wealthy enough to pay accountants and lawyers, is what disproportionately hits the poor and the working middle class people of this country. Under my system you don’t pay taxes until you decide how to spend your own money. Yes, that’s going to mean some sacrifices. But it puts the question of how you develop your wealth base back under your control."
John McCain (Republican) -- From McCain 2000 Web Site
[John McCain on other issues]" I believe that taxes are too high and the tax code too complex. The average working family pays nearly 40% of their earnings to the taxman. That's not fair. The federal tax code is a 44,000-page catalogue of favors for special interests and a chamber of horrors for the rest of America. The time for reform is now."
Election
2000
What you need to know about the candidates
and issues of the 2000 Elections on this and other About.com Guide Sites.
Tax Features On Other About.com Guide Sites |
Tax Planning: US NetLinks
You need this. Tax Guide, Shellie L. Moore presents her hand-picked list of online tax help for this or any tax year. Audits, Capital Gains, Online Filing are just a few of the many topics you'll find in Shellie's list.The Marriage Penalty
Will you really have to pay more? Find out from Tax Guide, Shellie Moore.Child Tax Credits
Isn't it time your kids saved you money on your taxes? Tax Guide, Shellie Moore tells you how.
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Election
2000
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Presidential
Pay Raise Poll
Should Congress act this year to increase the President's salary?
