U.S. lawmakers defend slew of corporate tax breaks

[MindMover]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - If a congressional hearing on Thursday is any indication, U.S. lawmakers will have a hard time breaking the stand-off over where to trim the fat in the federal tax code.

Nearly every lawmaker who testified at a panel on the individual merits of $35 billion in tax breaks came out in favor of making their pet provisions permanent.

Tax breaks - ranging from a popular corporate research credit to a subsidy for Puerto Rico that critics say benefits big rum producers - were the topic before a tax-writing subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives.

It was "members' day" when congressmen and women have the chance not only to defend the policies they like, but also to attack those they deem no longer useful.

"For too long Congress has simply rubber stamped the extenders package" without regard to economic development, job creation or other potential benefits, said Rep. Pat Tiberi, the Republican chairman of the House panel reviewing the breaks.

Still, most of the testimony was in favor of the breaks.

Republican Geoff Davis of Kentucky said he backs broad-based tax reform but insisted that some tax breaks were vital to the country's economic health and job creation. He defended the research tax credit.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/26/us-usa-tax-breaks-idUSBRE83P1F020120426?

[mbperrin]

1. Wish these assholes thought as often and as much about the country

as about their donors.

<sigh>

[momsrule]

2. Get them out..

We need to vote them out of office. They are not acting in the best interest of their constituents at large. Let's get to work state by state!!