Club for Growth

Lincoln Chafee's Record on Taxes

Here are just some of the votes Senator Lincoln Chafee cast for higher income taxes.

2001

On May 26, 2001, for Vote 170, Chafee voted against final approval of the tax cuts proposed by President Bush. According to Congressional Quarterly, the vote included provisions to provide tax relief of "$1.35 trillion through fiscal 2011 through income tax rate cuts, relief of the "marriage penalty," a phaseout of the federal estate tax, doubling the child tax credit, and providing incentives for retirement savings. A new 10 percent tax rate would be created retroactive to Jan. 1, and taxpayers would get rebate checks this summer of $300 for singles and $600 for couples. The bill would double the $500-per-child tax credit by 2010 and make it refundable; raise the estate tax exemption to $1 million in 2002 and phase out the tax over 10 years; increase the standard deduction for married couples to double that of singles over five years, beginning in 2005; and increase annual contribution limits for Individual Retirement Accounts to $5,000."

2003

On March 21, Chafee was alone among Republicans in voted "yea" on Vote 69, which would have resulted in stripping any economic stimulus tax cuts from the proposed budget resolution. Only 21 Democrats joined Chafee in voting for the higher taxes contemplated in the amendment.

Later, when the Senate gave final approval (Vote 196) to the compromise Jobs and Growth Reconciliation Tax Act of 2003, Chafee was just one of three Republicans to vote no. According to Congressional Quarterly, the measure "would provide $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years...The agreement includes a new top tax rate of 15 percent on capital gains and dividends through 2007 (5 percent for lower-income taxpayers in 2007 and no tax in 2008). Income tax cuts enacted in 2001 and scheduled to take effect in 2006 would be accelerated. The child tax credit would increase to $1,000 through 2004. The standard deduction for married couples would be double that for a single filer through 2004. Tax breaks for businesses would include increasing the deduction that small businesses could take on investments to $100,000 through 2005."

2004

On September 23, 2004 (Vote 188), Sen. Chafee was one of only three senators to vote against final passage of a bill that would have stopped huge tax increases on the middle class, lower middle class and married couples. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Adoption of the conference report on the bill that would extend the $1,000 per child tax credit through 2009, the upper limit for the current 10 percent bracket through 2010 and tax breaks for married couples through 2008. It also would provide a one-year extension of current income exemptions from the alternative minimum tax and extend the expiring research and development tax credit through 2005."

According to a report (PDF) published by the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, almost all of the bill consisted of extending current law tax provisions. If these had not been extended, taxes would have increased by $270 billion by 2014.

Earlier, on March 10, 2004, when the Senate was considering the budget, Sen. Chafee voted for an amendment (Vote 36) that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, made it harder to accommodate "an extension of the expiring $1,000 child tax credit, continue the 10 percent income tax bracket at present income levels and extend relief of the so-called marriage penalty."

2005

Additionally, on November 18, 2005 (Vote 347), Sen. Chafee voted against a bill that would have extended several tax provisions that were scheduled to expire, including, says Congressional Quarterly, "the college tuition deduction and the state and local sales tax deduction in states without income taxes. It would extend through 2006 protections for middle-class taxpayers from alternative-minimum tax liability." This bill did not become law.

2006

On May 11, 2006, Sen. Chafee again voted (Vote 118) against final passage of a bill that extended current law tax provisions in order to prevent steep tax increases. According to Congressional Quarterly, the measure provided that "Reduced tax rates on capital gains and dividends would be extended through 2010. It would extend through 2009 a tax provision that allows small businesses to write off up to $100,000 in capital investments in the year they are made. It would extend for one year and set higher alternative minimum tax exemption amounts for 2006 of $62,550 for a joint return, $42,500 for individuals, and $31,275 for married individuals who file separate returns."

According to a report (PDF) published by the Joint Committee on Taxation, avoided tax increases totaled over $80 billion.

On February 2, 2006, Sen. Chafee voted against a bill (Vote 10) to extend tax cuts, including provisions that would prevent the alternative minimum tax (AMT) from reaching middle-class taxpayers. That same day, he voted against final passage of the Senate version of the bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, "would extend by two years a series of tax cuts set to expire between 2005 and 2010, including the research and development tax credit, the state and local sales tax deduction in states without income taxes, the work opportunity tax credit and the welfare-to-work credit. It would also extend through 2006 the college tuition deduction and exemptions from the alternative minimum tax for middle-class taxpayers."

Additionally, Sen. Chafee has had numerous opportunities to extend the repeal of the Death Tax, prevent Death Tax increases, or accelerate Death Tax Repeal, but has rejected doing so. Those votes include ones taken in 2000 (#197), 2002 (#28, #151), 2003 (#62) and 2006 (#164, #229)

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Posted by Andrew Roth on August 23, 2006 6:53 AM | Trackback (1) | Print | #