Issues: Taxes

Independence Virginia PAC: “No Surprise”

adcheck •

An ad from Independence Virginia PAC, a Bob Perry-backed super PAC formed to oppose Virginia Senate candidate Tim Kaine (D), suggests taxes proposed by the former governor are to blame for the rise in unemployment rate during his tenure, and claims Kaine “left Virginia with a $4.2 billion deficit.” In reality, Kaine balanced the budget before leaving office, even though the state’s revenues suffered due to the recession, which was also responsible for driving up the unemployment rate both in Virginia and nationally. The taxes Kaine proposed while in office, meanwhile, were primarily ideas on how to pay for much-needed transportation upgrades that the state’s GOP wanted to finance with long-term borrowing, and despite the ad’s use of a poorly worded debate statement, Kaine does not currently support raising taxes on low-income earners.

Read more after the jump.

Arizonans for Jobs: “Richard Carmona: Obama’s Rubber Stamp”

adcheck •

Arizonans for Jobs, a group supporting Rep. Jeff Flake’s (R) bid for the Senate, attacks Democratic candidate Richard Carmona for supporting the Affordable Care Act. Despite the group’s claims, the health care law is not a “government takeover,” does not raise taxes on most Americans, and does not cut benefits for Medicare recipients. In fact, Flake voted to preserve the Affordable Care Act’s savings from Medicare when he supported the House Republican budget authored by Rep. Paul Ryan.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Lovers”

adcheck •

Crossroads GPS says Virginia Senate candidate Tim Kaine “loves taxes,” accusing him of trying to raise taxes on lower-income Americans and attacking him for supporting the Affordable Care Act even though the health care law provides more middle-class tax relief than burden. But the “tax hikes” GPS accuses Kaine of pushing as governor were a 1 percent surcharge that was part of a package of tough cuts seeking to balance Virginia’s recession-ravaged budget. Meanwhile, Kaine isn’t “considering a new tax on those who can least afford it” – he misspoke while indicating his openness to all discussions on taxation, but does not support taxing lower-income citizens.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Hole”

adcheck •

Crossroads GPS blames President Obama and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) for the rising debt, citing the Recovery Act and Obamacare as examples of measures that allegedly “dug the hole.” However, the recovery bill helped rescue the economy from a deeper recession, while the Affordable Care Act actually reduces deficits. In reality, the deficit skyrocketed thanks to Bush policies – especially tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans – and the crushing recession Obama inherited. Crossroads also criticizes Tester for supporting “Obama’s budget deal” that included defense cuts, but the ad does not mention that congressional Republicans played a major role in forcing those cuts into law.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Promotion”

adcheck •

Crossroads GPS attacks Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), who is running for Senate, over his votes in favor of a 2009 budget plan and the Affordable Care Act, which the ad suggests are harmful to small businesses. The non-binding budget resolution Donnelly supported cut taxes for middle- and lower-class Americans while letting the Bush tax cuts expire on top earners, few of whom are small businesses. The Affordable Care Act, meanwhile, contains tax credits for small businesses.

Read more after the jump.

American Crossroads: “Sack It”

adcheck •

In its latest attack on President Obama, American Crossroads pretends that the economic recovery is not happening, asking, “Where are the jobs you promised?” The economy was hemorrhaging jobs when Obama took office, but the private sector has created 4.7 million new jobs over the last 31 consecutive months of growth. Indeed, even counting the hundreds of thousands of job losses each month in early 2009, the latest data shows positive net job growth in Obama’s first term. Moreover, Crossroads dishonestly blames Obama for rising debt fueled by the recession and Bush-era policies, such as tax breaks for the wealthy and unfunded wars.

Read more after the jump.

American Action Network: “Search”

adcheck •

The American Action Network attacks California congressional candidate Jose Hernandez (D) for supporting the “failed stimulus,” which actually created jobs, cut taxes for working Americans, and helped prevent an even worse recession. The ad also dishonestly attempts to brand Hernandez as a carpetbagger who only moved to California from Texas in order to run for Congress, omitting crucial details: Hernandez lived in Texas because he worked at NASA’s Johnson Space Center as an astronaut, and he has deep roots in the California valley he seeks to represent.

Read more after the jump.

American Action Network: “3 Wishes”

adcheck •

In an ad urging voters to “make Kathy Hochul go away” on November 6, the American Action Network attacks the first-term Democrat from New York, claiming she voted to raise taxes “almost 50 percent” and increase spending “even more.” But the ad’s citations make clear that it’s referring to Hochul’s time on the Hamburg, New York town board, and the increases in question occurred over the course of 13 years. In fact, when the town budget is adjusted for inflation, spending actually increased a mere 8.5 percent during Hochul’s service. The ad also claims Hochul “voted for the job-killing health care law” and to increase small business taxes. But Hochul wasn’t in Congress when the health care law passed, and she voted to preserve tax cuts on the middle class while ending them for top earners, few of whom are true small businesses.

Read more after the jump.

Americans for Tax Reform: “Tax Raising Politician Sean Maloney (NY-18)”

adcheck •

Americans for Tax Reform targets New York congressional candidate Sean Maloney’s (D) support for ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, which the group claims will hurt small businesses and kill jobs. However, conservatives rely on a dubious definition of “small business,” and allowing the top tax bracket to return to its pre-Bush level would not affect many actual employers. In addition, ATR’s charge that phasing out the tax breaks would cause job losses is based on a flawed study that assumes the revenue will not go toward deficit reduction, which is exactly what Maloney and other Democrats have proposed.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Damaged”

adcheck •

Parroting a piece from a conservative Nevada think tank’s publication, a Crossroads GPS ad accuses state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford (D), who is running for U.S. Congress, of robbing $4.2 million from a college savings trust fund. As usual, there’s more to the story: Horsford chaired a bipartisan committee that voted unanimously to move funding into a scholarship program for current students after finding out that it would not be able to make full payments to its current beneficiaries. The college savings plan that was originally designated to receive some of the money – a fund managed by the Nevada Treasurer that helps families manage payments for future education – remains funded at 108 percent, even without the originally-planned extra infusions.

Read more after the jump.