Democrats want to see tax rates go up on the wealthy; Republicans want to see cuts in entitlement programs. But neither side is trumpeting an extension of the payroll-tax cut, which is also expected to expire at the end of the year — opening the door for the federal government to dig deeper into the pockets of 160 million workers.
The rich did indeed get richer under President George W. Bush, but they also paid an ever-larger share of the federal tax burden, according to new numbers from Congress' chief scorekeeper.
"It seems like it has been the one tax cut that has been ignored, and I think that has been a grave mistake," said Chuck Marr, of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, adding that the break put about $1,200 a year back into the pocket of the average worker. "This is real money for working and middle-class people."
"There's always a balance between the burden and cracking down on tax cheaters," said Chuck Marr, director of federal tax policy for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "In the last 18 months, we've seen the balance tipping in favor of the tax cheaters."
