From the Senate Finance Committee yesterday:
[T]he panel voted 12-11 to reject an amendment from Sen. Mike Crapo (R., Idaho) that would block any tax or fee from hitting individuals who earn less than $200,000 a year and families earning less than $250,000.
Republicans said the bill breaks President Barack Obama’s pledge not to raise taxes on the middle class. “The taxes are for real and they are going to hit squarely on the middle class,” Mr. Crapo said.
Democrats countered that the change would gut the health bill and wasn’t necessary because the legislation overall would lower most Americans’ health costs. By 2017, the bill will result in an annual tax cut of $40 billion, according to a staff estimate for Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.). “What we are doing in this legislation is taking away a hidden tax that folks are paying in higher premiums right now to pay for the uninsured,” added Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.).
So there will be tax increases for the middle class if the Senate version of Obamacare passes, but they won’t really be tax increases–they’ll be tax decreases!
Because we said so.