Guest Opinion: Protecting your tax dollars in Washington, D.C.

WLWh Whe fisFDO FOLff LmSDsse behLnd us, LW Ls WLme for Congress to refocus on cutting government spending. The debate over the expiring tax rates helped to put our nDWLon’s fisFDO heDOWh fronW Dnd FenWer. In Whe end, D compromise piece of legislation was passed on New Year’s Day. By no means was this legislation perfect – no piece of legislation ever Ls. In fDFW, I wDs Whe onOy member of Whe House Wo LnWroduFe Dn Dmendment to the Senate’s legislation. My amendment improved protections for small businesses. My proposed amendment would have protected from increased taxes any small business income used to invest in new equipment or new employees.

My goal was to keep tax rates as low as possible for as many people Ds SossLbOe, Dnd my YoWe suSSorWed shLeOded 99% of WDxSDyers from Dn economically destructive tax hike and made the lower tax rates permanent.

0osW LmSorWDnWOy, WhLs OegLsODWLon SroYLded fDmLOLes Dnd smDOO busLnesses with something that has evaded them for nearly four years – certainty.

The SermDnenFe of Whe WDx rDWes Dnd oWher SroYLsLons, LnFOudLng SroWeFWLng FounWOess OoFDO fDmLOy fDrms from Whe FrushLng esWDWe WDx, established through the legislation will prevent taxpayers from being used as political pawns in the Washington brinksmanship which has only worsened the political discourse.

$s Whe 113Wh Congress begLns LWs worN, I remDLn FommLWWed Wo reformLng goYernmenW Wo mDNe LW worN beWWer Dnd FosW Oess. I Dm Sroud Wo have led on several important efforts aimed at doing just that and look forward to continuing my work over the next two years.

-usW WhLs monWh, PresLdenW ObDmD sLgned LnWo ODw D bLSDrWLsDn meDsure I LnWroduFed Ln Whe House whLFh noW onOy sDYes WDxSDyer money, buW DOso SroYLdes Dn LmSorWDnW benefiW Wo Whe fDmLOLes of firsW resSonders who fall in the line of duty.

0y OegLsODWLon, nDmed for BensDOem E0S YoOunWeer DDnLeO 0FInWosh, noW onOy FOoses D OooShoOe Ln Whe PubOLF SDfeWy OffiFers BenefiWs SrogrDm whLFh OefW Whe fDmLOLes of YoOunWeer firsW resSonders wLWhouW Whese benefiWs, buW LW DOso SroYLdes for LWs Oong-Werm finDnFLDO sWDbLOLWy by sWreDmOLnLng LWs DdmLnLsWrDWLon, ensurLng WhDW money goes Wo benefiFLDries rather than bureaucrats.

Through Whese reforms, we were DbOe Wo hDYe Whe SrogrDm SDy more Wo benefiFLDrLes whLOe DFWuDOOy FosWLng Oess Wo DdmLnLsWer Whe SrogrDm. ThLs Ls D SrDFWLFDO, reDO exDmSOe of how Wo FuW sSendLng by reformLng the system which we accomplished by bringing people together to get something done.

$noWher reform whLFh I LnWroduFed on Whe Yery firsW dDy of WhLs Congress Ls Whe HLre -usW One $FW. ThLs OegLsODWLon SroYLdes Dn LnFenWLYe to businesses to hire workers by assigning the weekly unemployment compensation payments being received by each new person that they hire to the business itself.

By changing the way the unemployment compensation system is admLnLsWered, we FDn SromoWe Mob FreDWLon Dnd eFonomLF growWh whLOe mDNLng Whe SrogrDm more effiFLenW. LeW’s use unemSOoymenW Fompensation fund to put people back to work immediately to grow our eFonomy. By growLng Whe SLe, we Dre SroduFLng more reYenues for the Federal government without pitting Americans against each other through tax hikes and loopholes.

We musW DOso OooN Wo Whe DdmLnLsWrDWLon of Whe federDO goYernmenW, boWh wLWhLn Congress Dnd Whe YDrLous exeFuWLYe DgenFLes.

Through Dn DFWLon DnWLFLSDWed by no one, PresLdenW ObDmD Lssued Dn ExeFuWLYe Order whLFh wouOd gLYe SDy rDLses Wo FederDO emSOoyees, LnFOudLng 0embers of Congress Dnd Whe VLFe PresLdenW. ThLs wouOd have cost nearly $1B per year at a time when we can least afford it and when FederDO emSOoyees DOreDdy eDrn 20% more WhDn WheLr SrLYDWe seFtor counterparts.

By worNLng TuLFNOy Dnd Ln bLSDrWLsDn fDshLon, I Oed Whe efforW Wo SDss D bLOO ouW of Whe House Wo bOoFN Whe mLsguLded SDy rDLse.

EDFh of Whese OegLsODWLYe efforWs reSresenWs MusW one of Whe mDny oSSorWunLWLes I beOLeYe exLsW Wo FuW sSendLng wLWhLn Whe federDO goYernmenW, Dnd find more effeFWLYe wDys Wo deOLYer YLWDO goYernmenW serYLFes. If we FDn WDFNOe Lssues OLNe Whese Ln D bLSDrWLsDn mDnner, I Dm oSWLmLsWLF that we can protect and reform Medicare and Social Security if we have D PresLdenW wLOOLng Wo OeDd Dnd D Congress wLOOLng Wo FomSromLse.

UOWLmDWeOy I hoSe WhDW Ln Whe 113Wh Congress we FDn resWore Whe fDLWh of the American people in the institution that represents them.

We are going to face many challenges as a nation in the coming two yeDrs. Some we FDn SredLFW, Dnd oWhers wLOO FDWFh us by surSrLse, buW I Dm FonfidenW WhDW we wLOO hDYe Whe DbLOLWy Wo Fome WogeWher Wo Dddress eDFh of Whem wLWh Whe sSLrLW of unLWy WhDW hDs defined our nDWLonDO FhDracter for more than two centuries.

I Dssure you WhDW Ln Whe 113Wh Congress, I wLOO be worNLng Wo do MusW that.

(Mike Fitzpatrick represents the 8th Congressional District, including all of Bucks County and a portion of Northeast Philadelphia)