Thursday, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-5) voted “Yes” on H.R. 88, the combined Retirement, Savings, and Other Tax Relief Act of 2018 and Taxpayer First Act of 2018, which passed the House 220-183. Highlights of the bill include delaying many of Obamacare’s more controversial taxes that drive up health care costs further, as well as protecting churches from losing their tax exempt status for engaging in normal political speech in the regular course of their activities.
The five other Republican members of Alabama’s House delegation also voted to support the legislation. Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-7) voted “No.”
In a statement, Brooks said, “Today’s vote delays or repeals some of Obamacare’s most egregious taxes on health care that, in turn, drive up health care costs. One delayed tax, the Medical Device Tax, is a 2.3% excise tax on medical devices sold in the United States (wheelchairs, devices for amputees, and the like). Another, the Health Insurance Tax, taxes health insurance providers, thus forcing insurers to raise health insurance premiums to cover the higher cost of health care. The Cadillac Tax is a monstrous 40% tax on high quality health insurance plans that actually acts to encourage employers to give their employees cheaper and lower quality health insurance!”
He added, “Each of these Obamacare taxes is counterproductive and makes it harder for Americans to pay their medical bills. I am pleased to have the opportunity to vote to repeal or delay them.”
The congressman from north Alabama then addressed the free speech rights of churches.
“Another positive in the bill is its elimination of IRS restrictions on churches’ free speech rights. Specifically, this bill rolls back the prohibition against churches engaging in political speech. No church should be at risk of losing its tax exempt status because it expresses political views in the regular course of its long-held religious beliefs and activities. This is particularly true when a church’s expression of its political views is nothing more than its expression of religious values and views that have been the underpinning of its religion for thousands of years. Taken further, this bill eliminates the possibility the IRS, under a liberal president, will target churches for political retribution, like Obama’s IRS did when it targeted Tea Party and other conservative groups. Reducing the federal government’s intrusion in American’s daily lives is always a winner,” Brooks concluded.
H.R. 88 is supported by key conservative and religious groups, including:
Americans for Tax Reform
Family Research Council
FreedomWorks
National Taxpayers Union
Americans for Prosperity
Home School Legal Defense Fund
Archdiocese of New York
Archdiocese of Washington, DC
American Association of Christian Schools
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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