FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 15, 2010

Isakson Continues Fight to Bring Tax Relief to Americans
Reintroduces Legislation to Repeal Tax Code by 2013

WASHINGTON – Declaring that it's time to give relief to American taxpayers, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., has reintroduced legislation to repeal the U.S. tax code and to force Congress to vote to reauthorize it or replace it with a new system. This legislation continues Isakson’s long history of fighting to bring tax relief to American families and small businesses.

“As our nation continues to struggle through the current economic crisis, Democrats in Washington continue to spend the money of hardworking Americans and small businesses on bloated government programs,” Isakson said. “The time has come for us to give some relief to the American taxpayer through a complete overhaul of our burdensome, confusing and overly complex tax code.”

The Tax Code Termination Act would terminate the current tax code on December 31, 2013. To ensure a smooth transition to a new system, Congress must approve a new tax code by July 4, 2013. If a new system is not approved by July 4, 2013, Congress would be forced to vote to reauthorize the current tax code. 

To help Congress choose the best replacement system, Isakson's bill also creates a bipartisan commission that would be required to examine and to recommend to Congress plausible replacements for the tax code. A flat tax and a national sales tax must be among the options it examines, under Isakson's legislation.

“Our economic struggles aren’t due to the government spending too little, or not taxing Americans enough. In fact, it’s just the opposite,” Isakson said. “We need to enact policies that strengthen and stabilize our economy. Congress must become better stewards of the taxpayers’ money.”

Isakson is committed to trying to pass legislation to curb federal spending and to demand more accountability from programs that receive federal dollars. Isakson is a co-sponsor of a constitutional amendment that would allow the President to use the line-item veto to either eliminate or reduce appropriations in any bill passed by the Congress. The amendment would also require Congress to balance the federal budget.

Isakson also voted for the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, which are now set to expire at the end of this year. Isakson believes it would be a terrible blow to the budgets of all families and small businesses if this tax relief was to expire this year, and he wants to see these tax cuts made permanent.

In addition, Isakson also has introduced legislation to reform the federal budget process by converting it from an annual spending process to a two-year cycle, with one year for appropriating federal dollars and the other year devoted to oversight of federal programs. Isakson also has co-sponsored bipartisan legislation that would establish a task force charged with making recommendations on how to improve the government’s long-term fiscal imbalances.

As a result of his efforts to bring tax relief to American families and small businesses , Isakson has received numerous accolades for his commitment to this ideal, including the “Taxpayers’ Friend Award,” an “A” rating from the National Taxpayers Union and the honor of being named a “Taxpayer Hero” by the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste.

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