For Immediate Release:                                          Contact: Kate Pomeroy
October 16, 2008                                                    202-362-1147/ [email protected]

Plenty Joe and Josephine Plumbers See Tax Increases Squelching Their Dreams

(Washington, DC) – There was one clear winner of last night’s debate:  Joe the Plumber, who focused the candidates and the audience on how changes to tax laws will affect small business owners.  There are a growing number of female small business owners, many of whom, like “Joe the Plumber,” will be affected by the changes in tax laws proposed by the candidates.

“There are many Joe—or Josephine—Plumbers out there, who have worked hard to get where they are and now face the potential for major tax increases under a Senator Obama administration,” said Carrie Lukas, IWF’s vice president for policy and economics.  “Senator Obama may believe that it is his, or the government’s, job to “spread the wealth around,” but individuals know that they are in the best position to know how to invest the money they earn.  Small business owners in particular are an engine of job creation and economic growth.  With many small business owners filing under the individual tax code, Joe or Josephine Plumber (the so-called wealthy) have the potential to be hit hard with Senator Obama’s proposed tax increases.”

In addition to preserving the Bush tax rate reductions on individual income, Senator McCain has proposed to reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 to 25 percent.  The U.S. corporate tax rate is currently the second highest in the developed world.

“Senator Obama has criticized Senator McCain’s want to cut corporate tax rates as a give away to wealthy corporations, but most Americans know that businesses aren’t our enemy.  They understand that our high corporate tax rate is a job killer – it encourages businesses to send jobs overseas and discourages expansion,” said IWF’s Allison Kasic.  “Women out there who are looking for jobs know that we need to keep American companies competitive in the global economy.  A big part of that is lowering tax rates.”

Independent Women’s Voice is a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization for women, men and families.  IWV is dedicated to promoting limited government, free markets, and personal responsibility.  Our most significant efforts include advocating for authentic feminism that embraces children and likes men, school choice, education reform, sound non-politicized science, and against higher taxes and wasteful government spending.  IWV seeks to ensure that conservative women’s voices are heard in the media and before state and national policymakers.

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