Explore Candidates President Bob Barr on Taxes and Budget

Bob Barr on Taxes and Budget

The federal government is largely funded by a diversity of different taxes on income and commerce. The relationship between taxes and federal budget is very intimate and historically democrats and republicans have split on how to manage the relationship. This topic includes information about candidate positions on: raising, reducing, and eliminating certain taxes, a federal flat-tax system, and balancing the federal budget.
Bob Barr strongly opposes an increase in taxes for the wealthiest Americans

"Cutting spending would allow America to implement real tax reform. The best approach would be to adopt a national sales tax, replacing the Internal Revenue Service and all federal income taxes as well as payroll taxes. The Fair Tax is an example of a well-researched alternative to the current oppressive system of taxation. Our goal should be to reduce both the tax burden on Americans and the intrusion in their lives resulting from IRS enforcement of the income tax."

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"It is not enough to eliminate the income tax. We also must repeal the 16th amendment, which authorizes Congress to levy an income tax. Without doing so, there would be an ever-present danger that a future Congress would attempt to bring back the income tax on top of the Fair Tax or any other alternative to the income tax."

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Bob Barr strongly supports tax cuts for middle-class families

Voted YES on Tax cut package of $958 B over 10 years. Vote to pass a bill that would cut all income tax rates and make other tax cuts of $958.2 billion over 10 years. The bill would convert the five existing tax rate brackets, which range from 15 to 39.6 percent, to a system of four brackets with rates of 10 to 33 percent.

Bill sponsored by Thomas, R-CA; Bill HR 1836 ; vote number 2001-118 on May 16, 2001

Barr signed the Contract with America: The American Dream Restoration Act: A $500-per-child tax credit, begin repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle-class tax relief.

Contract with America 93-CWA7 on Sep 27, 1994

Bob Barr strongly supports a Constitutional amendment that would require Congress and the President to balance the budget each year

Voted YES on the Balanced Budget Proposed Constitutional Amendment (H J Res 1), which was proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States. This was a vote to adopt an amendment to the Constitution that prohibits total expenditures from exceeding total revenue for a fiscal year, unless three-fifths of Congress votes to pass a bill stating otherwise.

Bill Number: H J Res 1, Date: 01/26/1995

Barr signed the Contract with America which requires a balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out-of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses.

Contract with America 93-CWA3 on Sep 27, 1994

Bob Barr supports a flat tax system across income levels

"The best approach would be to adopt a national sales tax, replacing the Internal Revenue Service and all federal income taxes as well as payroll taxes. The Fair Tax is an example of a well-researched alternative to the current oppressive system of taxation. Our goal should be to reduce both the tax burden on Americans and the intrusion in their lives resulting from IRS enforcement of the income tax."

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Bob Barr strongly supports eliminating taxes on estates after an individual's death

Voted YES on eliminating the Estate Tax. Vote to pass a bill that would gradually reduce revenue by $185.5 billion over 10 years with a repeal of the estate tax by 2011.

Bill sponsored by Dunn, R-WA; Bill HR 8 ; vote number 2001-84 on Apr 4, 2001

Barr co-sponsored the Death Tax Elimination Act.

House Resolution Sponsorship 01-HR8 on Mar 14, 2001

Bob Barr strongly supports the elimination of the marriage penalty which more greatly taxes couples with similar incomes

Voted YES on eliminating the "marriage penalty". Vote on a bill that would reduce taxes for married couple by approximately $195 billion over 10 years by removing provisions that make taxes for married couples higher than those for two single people. The bill is identical to HR 6 that was passed by the House in February, 2000.

Bill sponsored by Archer, R-TX; Bill HR 4810 ; vote number 2000-392 on Jul 12, 2000

Barr signed the Contract with America: The American Dream Restoration Act: A $500-per-child tax credit, begin repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle-class tax relief.

Contract with America 93-CWA7 on Sep 27, 1994

Bob Barr opposes the elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax

"It is not enough to eliminate the income tax. We also must repeal the 16th amendment, which authorizes Congress to levy an income tax. Without doing so, there would be an ever-present danger that a future Congress would attempt to bring back the income tax on top of the Fair Tax or any other alternative to the income tax."

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"The best approach would be to adopt a national sales tax, replacing the Internal Revenue Service and all federal income taxes as well as payroll taxes. The Fair Tax is an example of a well-researched alternative to the current oppressive system of taxation. Our goal should be to reduce both the tax burden on Americans and the intrusion in their lives resulting from IRS enforcement of the income tax."

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Bob Barr strongly supports the reduction of taxes on capital gains

Voted YES on $99 B economic stimulus that would allow more individuals to receive immediate $300 refunds, and lower the capital gains tax rate from 20% to 18%.

Bill HR 3090 ; vote number 2001-404 on Oct 24, 2001

Barr co-sponsored the Capital Gains Tax Reduction Act: Amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide maximum rates of tax on capital gains of 15 percent for individuals and 28 percent for corporations and to index the basis of assets of individuals for purposes of determining gains and losses.

House Resolution Sponsorship 01-HR15 on Jan 3, 2001

  NewBob Barr strongly opposes the use of public funds to prevent failing financial institutions like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and AIG from going bankrupt

“Actually it’s not one bailout, I think we’ve already seen about four of them and counting. The line of those that have their hand out for more bailout – the automobile industry, the insurance industry, the mass transit industry, mutual funds – the list is getting longer and longer…. And this is simply a perfect illustration of what happens when the governments gets its hands into our wallet, and takes our money and plays favorites with one industry over another, one financial intuition over another. They inject tremendous distortions into the marketplace, they prevent the marketplace from operating…. The market was already starting to self-correct itself.”

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"Both the House and President George W. Bush have surrendered in the battle to protect America’s taxpayers from yet another expensive and unnecessary bailout,” says Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president. “The $300 billion measure yesterday approved by the House and endorsed by the White House won’t just pay off improvident borrowers and lenders. It will create yet another piggy-bank for activist groups at public expense. Now it is up to the Senate to say no, though that appears unlikely, given the size of the House majority and President Bush’s promise to sign the bill,”notes Barr. “The sub-prime lending crisis is largely a crisis of government,” adds Barr. “Congress and both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush pressed banks to lend more money in poor neighborhoods to less credit-worthy borrowers. The Federal Reserve pushed down interest rates to encourage more lending. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development subsidized home ownership. Now we are all paying the price for a boom gone bust,” says Barr."

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"The problem is that what the government is doing here is that they are not solving the problem, they are simply glossing over it and their apparent long term solution is not a solution at all but to keep these [inaudible] backed up with American dollars and they have no idea what the liability on the tax payers is going to be."

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"It is time to say no more.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac need to be privatized and sold off.  And Congress must stop treating the federal government like a national soup kitchen for businesses in trouble," says Barr. "Even former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has cautioned against bailouts such as the Bush Administration is now championing for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."

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