Deroy Murdock explores the Democratic presidential nominee’s tax proposals in a National Review Online column.
Clinton has said she would not boost taxes on anyone earning less than $250,000. But when ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos asked her last December, “Is that a rock-solid promise?” Clinton balked. “Well,” she said, “it certainly is my goal.”
Indeed, Clinton has proposed or embraced several new middle-class taxes:
Clinton has favored a 25 percent national sales tax on guns since 1993.
Asked in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 11 if she would veto a payroll-tax hike on every American, Clinton replied: “No, no.”
Clinton told Philadelphia voters in April, “I’m very supportive of the mayor’s proposal to tax soda to get universal preschool for kids.”
“Frankly,” Senator Bernie Sanders responded, “I am very surprised that Secretary Clinton would support this regressive tax after pledging not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000.”
Clinton also is open to a tax on carbon dioxide, which would boost price tags across the economy and asphyxiate employment prospects for those looking for work and hoping to keep their jobs.
“Right now we’ve not proposed a carbon tax,” Clinton campaign chief John Podesta told journalists on July 26. “But if Congress wants to come forward with one, we’ll take a look at it.”
Meanwhile, Democrat vice-presidential nominee Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia wanted to take things even further. As governor, High-Tax Tim advocated higher levies on those who aspired to the middle class. He sought to increase his state’s bottom tax rate from 5.75 percent to 6.75 percent. This would have socked families with annual incomes as low as $17,000. Kaine also fought for a 60-cent-per-pack jump in the state cigarette tax and a 2 percent bump in distilled-spirit prices among Virginia’s government-monopoly liquor stores.
