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Candidate Positions on Taxes

The following positions reflect those used for each candidate in the Select A Candidate survey. They come from the candidates; public statements, Web sites, and responses to Minnesota Public Radio questionnaires. In some cases, candidiates have failed to respond to inquiries, and their position is noted as "No known opinion."

Question: Do you believe the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts should be made permanent?
Bob BarrBob Barr ANSWER OPTION: Yes
 CANDIDATE'S POSITION: Barr believes that the 16th Amendment allowing for the federal income tax should be repealed, ending the Internal Revenue Service and proposes a nationwide sales tax. (More Info)

John McCainJohn McCain ANSWER OPTION: Yes
 CANDIDATE'S POSITION: McCain voted against the tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, but now says he would make them permanent, because allowing them to expire would have the effect of a tax increase. (More Info)

Ralph NaderRalph Nader ANSWER OPTION: No
 CANDIDATE'S POSITION: Nader supports repealing the tax cuts, taxing Wall Street securities speculators. He says "securities speculation -- buying and selling blocks of derivatives to profit from rapid fluctuations in price -- is one cause of the escalation in oil prices at the pump, the mortgage industry meltdown, and the dot.com bust." (More Info)

Barack ObamaBarack Obama ANSWER OPTION: No
 CANDIDATE'S POSITION: Opposed extending 2003 Bush tax cut law through 2010. Supports eliminating marriage penalty and extending child tax credit. Supports scaling back capital gains and dividends tax cuts and re-examining tax benefits for the top one percent of earners. (Source: CNN)

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