Clemente: “Democrats Must Not Walk Away from Making Corporations Pay Their Fair Share”
ATF’s Frank Clemente today released the following statement on the Senate’s latest GOP-backed infrastructure deal supported by 20 Senators:
“The GOP-backed infrastructure deal, supported by twenty senators, puts corporations far ahead of workers and billionaires way ahead of local communities. President Biden proposed a $2.3 trillion jobs and infrastructure plan that was totally paid for by requiring corporations to begin paying their fair share of taxes. This deal doesn’t ask corporations to pay an extra dime in taxes, while they will benefit enormously from improvements to roads, bridges, ports, waterways, airports and so much more. These investments will make their businesses more profitable, but workers and consumers will pick up the tab under this deal – a bad deal.
“The deal is reportedly paid for by using unspent COVID-19 relief funds; instituting an electric vehicle mileage tax; indexing the gas tax for inflation, meaning higher consumer costs at the pump; and ‘asset recycling,’ which is simply selling America’s public assets to the highest bidder and making working families pay more. Such alternative – and wholly inadequate – financing are retread ideas from Donald Trump’s discredited 2017 “infrastructure plan.” Much of the financing is smoke and mirrors and in direct violation of President Biden’s redline to not raise taxes on people making less than $400,000 a year.
“ATF’s new poll found that two-thirds of voters support raising taxes on corporations and the rich to pay for Biden’s infrastructure plan and other investments. They do not support ‘user fees.’ It’s indefensible that Senate Democrats would cut a deal on infrastructure that makes working families pay more, holds corporations and billionaires harmless and doesn’t come close to getting the job done for the American people.
“We need our elected leaders to pass jobs and tax policies that lift up working families, women, and communities of color, not give the wealthy and big corporations a free ride. It’s long past time for those who have the most to pay their fair share! Democrats must not walk away from making corporations pay their fair share to rebuild our communities.”