Tax Lawyer's Blog

On the Issues (a great website) shows Ted Kennedy’s votes on 18 major tax bills of the last decade:

1. Voted YES on increasing tax rate for people earning over $1 million. (Mar 2008)
2. Voted NO on allowing AMT reduction without budget offset. (Mar 2008)
3. Voted NO on raising the Death Tax exemption to $5M from $1M. (Feb 2008)
4. Voted NO on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax. (Mar 2007)
5. Voted NO on raising estate tax exemption to $5 million. (Mar 2007)
6. Voted NO on supporting permanence of estate tax cuts. (Aug 2006)
7. Voted NO on permanently repealing the `death tax`. (Jun 2006)
8. Voted YES on $47B for military by repealing capital gains tax cut. (Feb 2006)
9. Voted NO on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends. (Feb 2006)
10. Voted NO on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends. (Nov 2005)
11. Voted NO on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years. (May 2003)
12. Voted YES on reducing marriage penalty instead of cutting top tax rates. (May 2001)
13. Voted YES on increasing tax deductions for college tuition. (May 2001)
14. Voted NO on eliminating the ‘marriage penalty’. (Jul 2000)
15. Voted NO on across-the-board spending cut. (Oct 1999)
16. Voted NO on requiring super-majority for raising taxes. (Apr 1998)
17. Rated 17% by NTU, indicating a “Big Spender” on tax votes. (Dec 2003)
18. Rated 100% by the CTJ, indicating support of progressive taxation. (Dec 2006)

Kennedy’s successor – whomever that may turn out to be- will have a hard time matching this record of classic tax-and-spend liberalism.

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