Michigan Citizen Action Thanks Levin and Stabenow, Calls on Them to Protect Working Families by Standing Up For “Fair Taxes, Not Cuts”

Michigan Citizen Action, a state partner of Americans for Tax Fairness, delivered huge thank you cards to Senators Levin and Stabenow today, thanking the Senators for protecting Michigan’s middle class in the last fiscal cliff fight.  The group also asked them to continue fighting for “Fair Taxes, Not Cuts” in the next fiscal battle, as part of a national day of action in coordination with state and national labor, advocacy and faith groups.  In addition, Michigan Citizen Action organized constituent calls to the Senators offices with the same message.  Michigan Citizen Action reported that hundreds of calls went out across the State and that the Senators are receiving numerous calls from constituents around Michigan.   Michigan Citizen Action Executive Director Linda Teeter called on Senators Levin and Stabenow to continue fighting against special-interest tax deductions benefitting the richest 2 percent and to press for corporate tax reform to end tax breaks for corporations that ship profits and jobs overseas to avoid paying U.S. taxes, hurting our economy.

“It's wrong to reduce the deficit on the backs of the middle class by cutting vital programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and education,” Teeter said. “We should ask millionaires to pay at least as high a tax rate as their secretaries, instead of cutting education funding for our children.  We need to end tax breaks to large corporations that ship jobs overseas and use that money to invest in jobs in America improving our roads and bridges, rebuilding manufacturing and making us energy independent.  We are thankful that Senators Levin and Stabenow have been leaders in Congress in this fight and hope they will continue to stand up for the middle class.”

Although the legislation to avert the fiscal cliff that passed in early January raised taxes on the richest 0.7% of Americans, corporations have not yet paid one dime in additional taxes to reduce the deficit.

“For every $1 that tax revenues have been increased in recent budget agreements, there have been $2.50 in cuts from programs that create jobs. Instead of cutting funding for schools, let's make sure corporations like GE and Verizon pay their fair share of taxes. Over the last four years they paid ZERO in federal income taxes,” said Teeter.

As Congress considers options to avert the $1 trillion in across the board “sequestration” cuts over 10 years that are scheduled to take effect on March 1st, Michigan Citizen Action and their allies will urgently press Senators Stabenow and Levin to continue to support increased revenue from the richest 2 percent of Americans and from big corporations. For example:

• Limiting tax deductions for the richest 2 percent, as President Obama has proposed, would raise more than $400 billion and make the tax system fairer and simpler.
• Closing loopholes that allow corporations to ship profits – and U.S. jobs – overseas to avoid paying U.S. taxes. We lose $100 billion a year in taxes from this loophole.
• Eliminating the loopholes and tax breaks that allow the very wealthy to pay a lower tax rate than middle-class taxpayers could raise hundreds of billions of dollars.