WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) expressed disappointment that yet again, political expediency was placed ahead of the taxpayers’ interests in a backroom, eleventh-hour Congressional deal.
As is often the case in a rushed process devoid of transparency and accountability, the omnibus spending bill and tax extender package provided little in the way of progress for taxpayers. At a time when taxpayers need to evaluate the financial sustainability of solar and wind technology without the crutch of federal assistance, tax credits on those two industries were extended another five years, putting billions more tax dollars at risk. The wind credits are particularly outrageous because they expired at the end of 2014 and were resurrected in yet another example of zombie programs that certain members of Congress refuse to let die.
There were a few bright spots in the otherwise grim deals. The tax extender package explicitly restricts the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from bailing out insurance companies using Obamacare’s risk corridors. Also noteworthy is the codification of a ban on major gift taxes for contributions to 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that was also included. The omnibus spending bill features a provision that temporarily suspends Obamacare taxes on medical devices and so-called “Cadillac plans.” The bill also includes a temporary extension of the Internet Tax Freedom Act until October 1, 2016, which prohibits taxes on Internet access.
CCAGW President Tom Schatz said, “House Speaker Paul Ryan had previously stated that the budget process as currently constituted ‘stinks’ and, on that point, CCAGW wholeheartedly agrees. This is indeed the wrong way for Congress to conduct business. A full and open authorization and appropriations process is the best way to fund the government. The fiscal setbacks in this package are a direct result of this shoddy process, which shuts out many voices that stand up for taxpayers’ interests.”
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.
