Stabenow Has Fully Paid Her Property Taxes

Super PAC President: Stabenow Had To Pay $1,200 In Penalties From 2005-2007. According to the Detroit News: “The 30-second spot says Stabenow failed to pay taxes on her Washington, D.C., town home, while raising taxes 21 times for Americans. [Hardworking Americans Committee president Stu] Sandler provided tax records that show Stabenow bought her Capitol Hill home in 2001 for $390,000. But from 2005-07 she had to pay about $1,200 to the District of Columbia for property tax penalties and interest on the home.” [Detroit News, 10/23/12]

Detroit News: “Stabenow Has Paid Property Taxes Without Penalties For The Past Five Years.” According to the Detroit News: “A Detroit News public record search found Stabenow’s Washington property did accrue property tax penalities [sic] during those three years, but Stabenow has paid property taxes without penalties for the past five years. A Stabenow spokesman said the tax payments were late but paid in their entirety. ‘Debbie has always paid her taxes in full,’ he said. ‘When she was made aware of errors six years ago, she corrected them.’” [Detroit News, 10/23/12]

“21 Tax Increases” Refers To The Affordable Care Act – Which Doesn’t Raise Taxes On Most Americans

To support the claim that Sen. Stabenow is responsible for “raising your taxes 21 times,” the ad cites an article from the Washington Times on June 28, 2012.

House Ways And Means Committee Says There Are 21 Tax Increases In The Health Care Law. According to the Washington Times article cited in the ad: “The high court’s ruling leaves in place 21 tax increases in the health care law costing more than $675 billion over the next 10 years, according to the House Ways and Means Committee.” [Washington Times, 6/28/12]

Health Care Law Reduces Overall Burden On The Middle Class And Provides Tax Credits For Millions

Affordable Care Act “Will Provide More Tax Relief Than Tax Burden” For Middle Class. According to the Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler: “The health law, if it works as the nonpartisan government analysts expect, will provide more tax relief than tax burden for middle-income Americans.” [WashingtonPost.com, 7/6/12]

FactCheck.org: “A Large Majority Of Americans Would Not See Any Direct Tax Increase From The Health Care Law.” According to FactCheck.org: “It’s certainly true that the health care law would raise taxes on some Americans, particularly those with higher incomes. The law includes a Medicare payroll tax of 0.9 percent on income over $200,000 for individuals or $250,000 for couples, and a 3.8 percent tax on investment income for those earning that much. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the biggest chunk of revenue — $210.2 billion — comes from those taxes. There are other taxes in the health care law — including an excise tax on the manufacturers of certain medical devices and on indoor tanning services. The health care law included $437.8 billion in tax revenue over 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation‘s calculations. Republicans tend to add in fees on individuals who don’t obtain health insurance (which the Supreme Court now agrees can be considered taxes) and businesses that don’t provide it to bump that up to about $500 billion. Some taxes, such as those on medical devices, may or may not be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices, but a large majority of Americans would not see any direct tax increase from the health care law.” [FactCheck.org, 6/28/12]

• Individual Penalty Payments “Tiny” Compared To President Obama’s Previous Tax Cuts. According to FactCheck.org, the increased revenue from penalty payments by individuals who do not obtain health insurance represents “a tiny future increase compared with the tax cuts Obama has already delivered, including an estimated $120 billion in 2012 alone from the 2 percentage point cut in payroll taxes.” [FactCheck.org, 5/17/12]

Affordable Care Act Includes Tax Credits For Millions Of Americans. According to Families USA: “We found that an estimated 28.6 million Americans will be eligible for the tax credits in 2014, and that the total value of the tax credits that year will be $110.1 billion. The new tax credits will provide much-needed assistance to insured individuals and families who struggle harder each year to pay rising premiums, as well as to uninsured individuals and families who need help purchasing coverage that otherwise would be completely out of reach financially. Most of the families who will be eligible for the tax credits will be employed, many for small businesses, and will have incomes between two and four times poverty (between $44,100 and $88,200 for a family of four based on 2010 poverty guidelines).” [FamiliesUSA.org, September 2010]