On Eve of April 15th “Tax Day,” Arizonans Wondering Why She Doesn’t Care

PHOENIX – This afternoon Chairman Robert Graham of the Arizona Republican Party noted that while most Arizonans are sitting down to write checks to the federal government, they’re left wondering why Ann Kirkpatrick has done so much to increase the federal tax burden on Arizona’s families.

“Ann Kirkpatrick and her fellow tax-and-spend liberals insist on pushing their liberal agenda and forcing the rest of us to pay for it,” said Arizona Republican Party Chairman Robert Graham. “Just a few days before tax time, we find Congresswoman Kirkpatrick is more focused on courting Hollywood donors and appeasing her liberal allies than standing up for Arizona families.”

Kirkpatrick’s Taxes

• Health insurance tax– Obamacare imposed a new sales tax on health insurance. The tax was $8 billion in 2014 and increased by 41 percent for 2015. Over the next ten years, the tax will total more than $145 billion.
• Chronic illness tax– Obamacare introduced a tax on the chronically ill through a cutback in the itemized deduction for medical expenses. Under the law, the threshold for Arizonans under the age of 65 facing costly medical bills to deduct medical expenses on their tax filings increased by more than 30% — resulting in a $15.2 billion tax hike. In 2017, this tax will apply to everyone — regardless of age.
• Individual Mandate Penalties Skyrocket:According to Kaiser Family Foundation, the average penalty for uninsured people who are eligible for the Affordable Care Act but decline to enroll will be $969 per household. That’s a 47 percent increase from the average penalty in 2015. The penalty for the uninsured who qualify for premium subsidies in ACA marketplaces but decline to enroll face an average penalty of $738 per household, while people not eligible for subsidies face an estimated average penalty of $1,450.
• Employer Mandates Hurt Small Businesses:In 2016, businesses with more than 50 full-time employees will face a tax of up to $2,000 per employee if they don’t offer coverage.
• Health savings taxes– Obamacare has introduced onerous restrictions on flexible spending accounts, resulting in a $13 billion tax hike, and increased penalties on health savings accounts to the tune of $1.4 billion. In addition, Obamacare has denied Americans the ability to use pre-tax dollars in health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts and health reimbursement to purchase most over-the-counter medicines — resulting in a $5 billion tax increase.
• Cadillac tax– Obamacare implemented a 40 percent excise tax on certain high-priced workplace health plans, which will reduce their value to employees. This tax is expected to collect $87 billion from 2016 through 2025.