Despite CNN “American Morning” anchor John Roberts asking tough questions about tax increases from liberal Democrat Rep. Charles Rangel’s tax bill, but an onscreen graphic read “Major Tax Reform,” suggesting the network viewed it differently.
Rangel appeared on the October 26 “American Morning” to defend his so-called “tax reform proposal,” but he dodged questions when pressured to admit it was a tax increase:
JOHN ROBERTS: “[B]ut Congressman Rangel, is this an indication that if a Democrat gets into the White House, for many people in
, your taxes are going to go up?” America REP. CHARLES RANGEL: “Of course not! You keep saying that. The more you say it, the more people want to know whose taxes will be going up.”
ROBERTS: “But, some people’s taxes will increase?”
RANGEL: “If you are receiving a preferential tax treatment that you don’t deserve, you can call it what you want – a tax increase. We will be calling it a loophole …”
ROBERTS: “So, are you saying that high income earners are getting a preferential tax break now that they shouldn’t be getting?”
RANGEL: “The only reason that we can bring down the corporate tax rate is because under the higher tax rate some of the people are paying no taxes at all. So what we’re doing is pulling out the unfairness, lowering the rate and we’re doing the same thing for middle income taxpayers.”
Roberts didn’t ask all the tough questions though. According to an editorial in the October 26 Investor’s Business Daily, the bill would be “the largest income-tax hike ever, to punish the rich” and “that the middle class and poor would lose millions of jobs.” Not a word about job loss came up in the “American Morning” segment.
Another CNN reporter, Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash described Rangel’s bill by saying it “would give tax breaks to low and middle-income Americans and pay for it with a tax hike on high-income earners.” That was on the October 25 “Situation Room.”
However, once again, CNN wasn’t telling viewers the whole story.
According to the National Taxpayers Union the bill includes an enormous giveaway to people who already don’t pay taxes: “Rangel claims that ‘91 million families’ will benefit from the scheme, but that includes a spending giveaway to millions receiving the ‘Earned Income Credit’ -- households that don't pay taxes anyway.”
