Norquist: If McCain repeals oil industry tax breaks, ‘that’s a tax increase.’
Norquist: If McCain repeals oil industry tax breaks, ‘that’s a tax increase.’
On the Fox Business Channel earlier this month, Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) campaign spokesperson Taylor Griffin claimed that McCain was in favor of “taking away the tax breaks for big oil” in the 2005 energy bill. At the time, ThinkProgress asked if Griffin’s claim meant that McCain supported a tax hike, despite his “no-new taxes” rhetoric. In an interview with ThinkProgress yesterday, anti-tax guru Grover Norquist said that if McCain followed through on Griffin’s pledge, it would be “a tax increase”:
THINKPROGRESS: McCain spokesman Taylor Griffin recently told Fox Business – Fox Business Network – that they would repeal the tax breaks for oil companies in the 2005 energy bill. Would your organization consider that a tax increase?
GROVER NORQUIST: Uh, if it, first of all, that’s a tax increase. If it’s done in conjunction with other tax changes that are net cuts, or net revenue neutral, then its not a violation of the pledge. But that stand-alone is.
Watch it:
Transcript:
THINKPROGRESS: McCain spokesman Taylor Griffin recently told Fox Business – Fox Business Network – that they would repeal the tax breaks for oil companies in the 2005 energy bill. Would your organization consider that a tax increase?GROVER NORQUIST: Uh, if it, first of all, that’s a tax increase. If it’s done in conjunction with other tax changes that are net cuts, or net revenue neutral, then its not a violation of the pledge. But that stand-alone is. But he knows that. He knows, he knows, look, the pledge does not say you can’t cut some taxes and raise others, as long as it’s in the same bill and the cuts are bigger than the spending.
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Do we really care what a man who shares the name of a Sesame Street character has to say?
PEACE
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:16 amTaylor Griffin claimed that McCain was in favor of “taking away the tax breaks for big oil” in the 2005 energy bill.
- - McCain will change his stance, the media won’t notice, and no one one will hammer him on it. Unless, Obama drives it home ad infinitum, in a debate.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:17 amWhy isn’t this guy in jail with Jack Abramoff? He is certainly tied to the same crimes.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:18 amMcIIIrd has no intention of removing tax breaks for the oil companies. They own him. If it’s convenient to (wink, nod) say he’ll do something, he’ll say it, then contradict it within a week. Ok, two days.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:19 amCan you say ‘windfall profits tax’?
Get some.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:20 amGrover Norquist is an insufferable ass. That’s a fact…Jack…!
BTW — Norquist should read the US Constitution: Congress has the Power to raise taxes. Especially the taxes of insufferable asses…!
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September 3rd, 2008 at 11:21 amWhy would the emloyee (McDepends) turn on his employer (Bigoil)? That action would most likely get you fired.
I can’t wait for the next 2 months when we will see Johnny Boy wearing a NASCAR drivers suit covered with all those oil company and oil service company logos.
At least it will be a ‘colorful’ campaign. Heh Heh
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:25 amIf McIIIrd were to repeal the Oil Company Tax Breaks, it would be heralded by angelic trumpeters, the heavens would open up and Archangel Gabriel would be blowing a mean jazz saxaphone.
Short version, ain’t happenin.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:25 amTaxes are going up no matter who gets elected. It only depends on who will be taxed.
mccain will tax the working American
Obama will make business finally start paying their fair part of keeping our country running.
Most companies pay no taxes at all and get welfare subsidies
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 amNATIONALIZE the oil industry.
problem solved.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:32 amNothing new here. The republican party claim to be the party of no new taxes and then relying of the ignorance of their supporters, they just change the word tax to fee as my loser governnor Tim Pawlenty has done.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:33 amNorquist is drowning in a bathtub filled with filthy lucre.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:37 amPoor Oil Companies - reduced to living off corporate welfare while making record profits.
Not like those rich families of 5 making minimum wage!
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 amHey, Grover! Hi! Question for you–how would it affect the tax burden of other taxpayers in the long run?
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:40 amLurking Unka Fester; Remember, when Ronnie Ray-gun was prez, he signed legislation that he said, “” these are not taxes, they are “user’s fees” which seem to be just as expensive as taxes.
A user’s fee costs just as much as any tax. Or…a tax by any other name costs the same.
snark
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:43 amNationalize the whole energy industry.
It’s the only plausible solution if ‘energy security’ is a national security priority…
How can the ownership, management, and distribution of a “National Security resource’ be left to the machinations of global corporations with no national loyalties? What’s to prevent them from selling vital USer oil to the Commie Chinese???
Oh, wait, they do that already…
Hmmmmm.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:44 amWatch the rerun of the Daily Show from last night. During an interview with republican supporters one soul less assclown said (about the delay of the convention due to Gustav) why should we care about a few rain drops falling on some people.
Compassionate conversative is obviously just another urban legend as they don’t really seem to exist.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 amI would be happy to stand idly by and watch Grover Norquist drown in a bathtub…
No, really, I wouldn’t lift a finger.
I wouldn’t laugh, either, too much…
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:46 amOT, but here’s an interesting twist in the Palin abuse of power investigation, per TPM:
Palin is refusing to submit to questioning unless the Branchflower and the legislative committee that appointed him agree to relinquish control of the investigation and turn it over to a state review board made up of three Palin appointees.
Yesterday, Palin took the unusual step of having her lawyer, Thomas van Flein, file an ethics complaint against her with the state’s Attorney General. This, she hopes, will lead the AG to give the investigation to the aforementioned state personnel board. Unless that happens, and Branchflower agrees to close down his investigation, she will refuse to testify.
Honestly, how desperate do you have to be to file an ethics complaint against yourself to avoid answering questions about an investigation already in progress?
PEACE
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:46 amGrover is an extremely regressive unAmerican citizen.
What is this man’s obsession? The government can take back any excess of currency one holds. The notes belong to them. It’s not possible for one to earn tens of millions or billions in a year — there are only 24 hours in a day — because their real productivity could never be amount to that. (See: overpaid figurehead executives)
The rich don’t labor any more than your everyday middle-class American. What makes them believe they can hog the American currency?
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:46 amUncle Ho Says:
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Lurking Unka Fester; Remember, when Ronnie Ray-gun was prez, he signed legislation that he said, “” these are not taxes, they are “user’s fees” which seem to be just as expensive as taxes.
A user’s fee costs just as much as any tax. Or…a tax by any other name costs the same.
snark
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:48 am““““““““““““““““““““““““
Well Uncle Ho, we should also mention George HW Bush’s line of “Read my lips, no new taxes.” obviously he wasn’t as smart as Ronny Raygun or Pawlenty.
Don’t expect the people who’ve been making millions sucking of the lucrative Republican teat to give up without a fight. They’re going to try and rationalize every little bit of what they have to try and make every last bit of money they can… no matter what the cost to the average american(you know, those us making under $5,000,000).
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:52 amI truly feel that ones labor should not be taxed at all. That any gains made without labor such as capital gains, etc, should be taxed as much or more as we are now taxed for our labor.
It is a form of slavery when one’s hard days work is taxed to death and yet the wealthy become wealthier by playing the stock market with money they can afford to lose.
I remember reading somewhere where the guy (Adam Smith?) said when the paper shufflers and the money handlers make more money then the rest of the workers a country will be in grave peril.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:53 amraynman Says:
Don’t expect the people who’ve been making millions sucking of the lucrative Republican teat to give up without a fight. They’re going to try and rationalize every little bit of what they have to try and make every last bit of money they can… no matter what the cost to the average american(you know, those us making under $5,000,000).
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:56 am“““““““““““““““““““““““`
That would explain why the wealthy talking heads of the MSM continue to attack Barack Obama while continually treat John McCain with kid gloves. Obama wants to do away with the tax cuts for the wealthy while McCain wants to continue them. Unfortunately the wealthy have more power and at the end of the day they will make sure that McCain is our next president.
It’s not looking that way today
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:00 pmLet’s debunk a huge myth the neocons have been spewing for years: If you’re taxed at 10% (for example), then your tax rate is reduced to 8%, it’s a tax cut. If, after a few years, your tax rate is increased again to 10%, IT ISN’T A TAX INCREASE. IT’S A TAX RESTORATION (or rollback). You paid it before, so it’s not new.
The right won’t be satisfied until their tax rate is 0%. It won’t matter that we’ll be living in a feudal society, where the commoners depend on the generosity of the ultra-rich lords in order to SURVIVE!
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:00 pmraynman, over at another progressive blog some republican troll stated “We aren’t going to give up easily, we have too much money invested in the economy to just hand it over to you liberals.”
He went on to say that the he doesn’t see any recession because his stock porfolio is doing great.
The arrogance of these asshats to claim that Wallstreet is the only measuring stick that reflects our economy. They over look the rising unemployment rate, the permanent loss of American jobs overseas, rising inflation, rising oil/gas/energy costs, falling wages and the fall of the dollar. Greed will be the down fall of this country…and the world!
These bastards
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:01 pmFred @ 25, I hope and pray that those numbers can hold up and continue to grow in Obama’s favor. The closer the race is the easier it will be to steal with voter fraud. Which is why the MSM continually show this as a tight race with their polls.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:04 pmThey already pay 0%. Not only that they get huge welfare subsidies.
Link
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:06 pmBecause they are owned by the right, surely you knew that before now.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:07 pmUncle Fester Lurks; ahh, yes, Pawlenty’s ‘health impact fee’?
I would submit Minnesotans are deserving of a ‘Republican Impact Fee’ now, after the faux convention.
You know, maybe $1,500 / citizen for having to put up with the dribble, lies, revisionism, selective Patriotism and overall emotional depression caused by that many Reds in our State.
OTOH, Pawlenty had been called by McCain as VP…Rove finessed another deal behind Pawlenty’s back, as I see it, to include the TheoCon ‘base’. Pawlenty is still pissed, but what can he do after licking McCain’s boots for a year?
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:09 pmIn an interview with ThinkProgress yesterday, anti-tax guru Grover Norquist said that if McCain followed through on Griffin’s pledge, it would be “a tax increase”
So, apparently “repealing tax breaks” is okay but “raising taxes” isn’t, even though they’re the same thing. Never mind if repealing the tax breaks actually makes sense, focus only on the perception.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:15 pmFunny, there’s a Grover on Sesame Street. At least that program teaches kids to share.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:24 pmAnd what does Grover think about McCain eliminating the deduction for employer-supplied health insurance?
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 pmWell guess what - when I’m at work and I get a break, it’s assumed that it is temporary; then I have to get back to work once it’s over.
So, by this logic when I’m called back to the job I can call it a work increase?
Think about it.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:52 pmLet’s take it a step further.
When you have to re-fuel your truck, tractor, forklift (or whatever) you get paid for it. But to re-fuel your body at lunch time? Hell no - no way.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:06 pmGrover should STFU! Big oil has sucked all of the air out of the world economy. They need to pay a fair share for the war for oil. Actually, they should pay for all of the costs for it.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:46 pmSo the day after my state’s tax free, back to school shopping event, I’m hit with a huge tax increase?
Horse hockey! When a planned tax break expires, rates return to their prior levels.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:23 pmDespite being chosen by God, Grover Norquist has proven himself to be one of the most ignorant men in America.
September 4th, 2008 at 3:14 am