Summary
The McCain campaign claims that Obama voted to raise income taxes on individuals who earn as little as $32,000 per year. That's wrong.
The resolution Obama voted for would not have increased taxes on any single taxpayer making less than $41,500 per year in total income, or any couple making less than $83,000. The $32,000 figure is approximately the taxable income of a single person making $41,500 per year, after all deductions and exclusions.
Obama's vote (for a non-binding budget bill) does not change the fact that his own tax plan would provide a tax cut of $502 for a non-married taxpayer earning $35,000.
Analysis
Sen. John McCain's "economic adviser" Steve Forbes pushed the $32,000 claim July 7 in a conference call with reporters and in news interviews. Here's what he said in the call:
Forbes: Senator Obama has a series of tax proposals and tax actions that would devastate the American economy. For example, he has voted to increase income taxes on individuals earning as little as $32,000 a year. He doesn't make much of that on the campaign trail, but he did that in the Senate.
We can certainly see why Obama wouldn't "make much of this" – especially since it's not true.
What Obama voted for was a budget resolution that would have allowed most of the provisions of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts to expire. In particular, the resolution would allow the 25 percent tax bracket to return to its pre-2001 level of 28 percent. That bracket kicks in at $32,550 for an individual or $65,100 for a married couple. (The McCain campaign relies on an AP article which puts the cutoff at $31,850, but that figure is from 2007, not this year.) So the McCain campaign claims that anyone making "as little as $32,000" would be affected by the rate increase.
But as those of you who have filled out a 1040 know, that's not actually how income taxes work. We don't pay taxes on our total earnings; we pay them based on our "taxable income." The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center's Eric Toder told FactCheck.org that "people with taxable income of $32,000 would have a total income greater than that." In 2008, anyone filing taxes with single status would be entitled to a standard deduction of $5,450, as well as a personal exemption of $3,500. So to have a taxable income high enough to reach the 25 percent bracket, an individual would need to earn at least $41,500 in total income, while a married couple would need a combined income of at least $83,000.
What Would Barack Do?
Forbes refers to Obama's March 2008 vote for a non-binding budget resolution that would have set general revenue and spending targets for congressional tax-writing and appropriations committees. The resolution does not contain a specific provision to raise tax rates, but rather assumes that most of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire as scheduled in 2011. It also bears no relation to Obama's proposed economic plan. In fact, Obama has stated repeatedly that his plan would increase taxes only for those making more than $250,000 per year:
Obama (June 12, 2008): If you are a family making less than $250,000 a year, my plan will not raise your taxes. Period. Not income tax, not payroll tax, not capital gains tax, not any of your taxes. And chances are you will get a tax cut.
The most comprehensive nonpartisan analysis of Obama's tax proposal available is the Tax Policy Center's comparison of McCain's and Obama's economic plans. That analysis mostly supports Obama's claim that his plan won't raise taxes, though it says that families earning between $169,480 and $237,040 would see an average tax increase of $486 under Obama's plan. All those earning less than $169,480 would see tax cuts. In fact, that hypothetical taxpayer with the $32,000 in taxable income would get a $502 tax cut under Obama's plan. McCain's plan, by contrast, would leave that person's taxes unchanged.
Obama the Flip-Flopper?
Forbes is right that Obama voted for a resolution that would have allowed tax rates to return to their pre-2001 levels. Yet Obama's own economic plan makes permanent the tax cuts to the four lowest brackets. So why the shift? Obama told reporters on July 7 that "the budget resolutions are not tax votes" and went on to describe the budget process as "screwy." We'll certainly grant him that last part. As we have described before, budget resolutions basically set targets for appropriations committees to use. They are more like guidelines than actual rules. And, like many budget resolutions, this one passed on a party-line vote, with just one Democrat and two Republicans crossing party lines.
Certainly Obama's votes indicate a willingness to raise taxes, and Obama has not been shy about saying explicitly that he will raise some taxes. We'll leave it to you to decide what you think about Obama's record and his specific proposals. But we do find that the McCain campaign is simply wrong to say Obama supported raising taxes on those making "as little as $32,000 a year." In fact, according to the Tax Policy Center, only the top 10 percent of earners would see increases under Obama's plan, with most of the burden falling on the top 1 percent.
Republished with permission from factcheck.org.
Sources
Jones, Athena. "Obama Talks Economy, Iraq." 7 July 2008. MSNBC: First Read, 8 July 2008.
Len Burman, et. al. "A Preliminary Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans." 20 June 2008. Tax Policy Center, 7 July 2008.
Len Burman, et. al. "Change in Tax Liability Under the Presidential Candidate Tax Plans Fully Phased In, for Representative Nonelderly Single and Head of Household Families, Assuming Current-Law Nonitemizers Do Not Have Mortgages, 2009." 19 June 2008. Tax Policy Center, 7 July 2008.
Neuman, Johanna. "Obama Takes on McCain Over Taxes." 12 June 2008. L.A. Times, 7 July 2008.
Tax Policy Center. "Individual Income Tax Brackets, 1945 - 2008." 4 November 2007. Tax Policy Center, 7 July 2008.
Taylor, Andrew. "Presidential Hopefuls to Vote on Budget." 13 March 2008. Associated Press, 7 July 2008.