Buchanan on Tax Proposals
Text excerpted from Pat Buchanan's speech at the AARP Conference, Bedford, NH January 26, 1996
Question and Answer: Mike Cuthbert: Fine. Ah Darlene Moore, ah where are you Darlene? Are you here? I think you were this morning. Let me take Darlene's question then. Ah, do you have expert financial professionals, for backing your economic tax stand, and do you know the impact of what you're proposing economically for the United States? Pat Buchanan: Yes Alan Rubushka,[name ?] basically is the father of all flat taxes Mike, and Rubushka is an individual with whom I spoke with for an hour, and I gave him my proposals he doesn't agree a hundred percent with me, but I told him I'm going to retain the [inaudible] reduction for the middle class. I'm going to retain the charitable contributions, to churches. I'm going to make sure the super rich pay sumthin, they've got to pay a part for the defense of the United States. But my proposal is, similar in ways it is quite frankly is what they call revenue neutral in other words it will not increase the deficit. With regard to my proposals, for putting tariffs on Chinese communist goods, and using the money to cut taxes on small business, I'll tell you who agrees with me, all four those presidents up on Mount Rushmore, agree with Pat Buchanan, all four of them were economic [inaudible][laughter,clapping]. All four of them looked after the interest of America first. Irene Morse: What tax um, reform do you recommend on the basis of fairness? Pat Buchanan: On the basis of fairness? I think on the basis of fairness, everybody pays, for the defense of the United States. We're not going to have a tax reform, like Steve Forbes where David Rockerfeller can go down to Palm Beach and never pay a dime, of taxes for the rest of his life that's not fair. It's not only got to be fair it's got to be perceived as fair. I think a flat tax can be fair for this reason. My flat tax where you keep your mortgage interest deduction and your charitable contribution, you can have a family say making thirty-two thousand a year, which would pay zero, rate. Family making, say, fifty thousand a year would only pay the seventeen percent rate on eighteen thousand dollars, so their rate would probably be in the ah in the ah low single digits, not until you got up to pretty high would it be the full seventeen percent of uh of what they earn. And I think that uh, that's the kind of tax where we have the lowest rates in the western industrial world, but the rich pay more, and we have a flat tax above levels that are needed, to provide for the security, and economic welfare in a middle class family. Mike Cuthbert: Another question, what is the rational for a tax cut, while attempting to balance the budget, like would you support, continuing efforts, to do both? Pat Buchanan: The um, reason the Republicans are committed, the Republicans made a commitment. When they ran that campaign. When you give a middle class tax cut, for for ah middle class families, with kids, who ha have seen that, that reduction for children, and dependents never rise [inaudible] with inflation. And they said we're going to do this, so they made a commitment Mike, and it is time that political leaders, will make commitments, keep their commitments, even if it's unpopular. And I believe the Republican party, should stand by its commitment be held accountable, if that costs us votes it costs us votes, we've had too many politicians, who say one thing to the voters and go to Washington and do another. I'm not that kind of leader, [sporadic applause] and I will, I believe I will stand by the Republicans if they fight on the ground of principal and commitment, right to the end.
The following information comes from the Buchanan campaign web page and was obtained by NH-Primary on September 27, 1995. * Title: Pat Buchanan on the Issues Matching lines: + has an obligation to totally zero-out foreign aid, and cancel the $20 billion Mexican bailout, before it takes one penny out of the pockets of retired Americans who have paid Social Security taxes their entire lives." + Higher Taxes -"Bob Dole and Phil Gramm are friends of mine. They are good men. But they are both Big Government Republicans. When the crunch came in 1990, and every conservative worth his salt was fighting against George Bush's tax increase, Bob and Phil were on the other side. They urged George Bush to break his no-new-taxes pledge the decision that destroyed the Reagan coalition. They also both supported the huge tax increases of the early 1980s. If the record shows that you have repeatedly supported huge tax increases as a member of Congress, why should we believe that you are going to resist them as president?" * Title: Current News and Press Clips Matching lines: + Mr. Buchanan, the conscience of the party, doth make Bushes of them all. His deadliest weapon is their voting records. Bob Dole has voted for tax increases, racial quotas, the confirmation of pro-abortion liberals to the Supreme Court; Phil Gramm has voted for the same liberal justices, for foreign aid, for the Americans With Disabilities Act; Pete Wilson, who has raised California's taxes to new heights, also supports abortion, gay rights and gun control. + In an election season, Pat Buchanan has more impersonators than Elvis. But those infernal voting records! They offer no rebuttal to his gibe that his opponents are mere "leap-year conservatives" who will revert to type once they get the power they seek. The voters remember George "No New Taxes" Bush, and they have learned to read lips. + But ordinary conservatives and Perot patriots love him. More to the point, they trust him. The brick bats he has taken during his career as a commentator certify his sincerity on abortion, taxes, gun ownership and trade issues. The other candidates talk like Pat Buchanan when it suits them. Pat Buchanan talks like Pat Buchanan every year. * Title: Message from Patrick J. Buchanan Matching lines: + They want to end foreign aid, outlaw racial quotas, roll back federal taxes, and restore their rightful powers to the states. + All four voted for the unfunded mandates of the Clean Air Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act. All voted for the quota bill of '91. All went along with the abandonment of George Bush's "No New Taxes" pledge, the decision that destroyed the Reagan coalition.