Got one .Thank you for contacting me regarding the Tobacco Tax Parity Act of 2010 (H.R. 4439). I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this matter.
As you know, H.R. 4439 was introduced in the House of Representatives on January 13, 2010. This legislation would increase the tax on pipe tobacco from $2.83 to $24.78 per pound. H.R. 4439 was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means for further consideration.
I believe that raising taxes will not provide much-needed fiscal discipline in Washington but will instead impose an unnecessary burden on working families and small businesses who are already struggling in today’s economy. Instead of raising taxes, Congress should focus on eliminating excessive overhead, wasteful spending and duplicative programs. In fact, the Government Accountability Office, an independent, investigative arm of Congress, has identified billions of dollars in federal expenditures that are vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse. That is why I have supported numerous efforts in the Senate to save taxpayers billions of dollars. Most recently, I supported a group of amendments that would have collectively saved taxpayers $120 billion by reducing discretionary spending and cancelling the spending of federal funds that have been unspent for at least two years and not obligated for any purpose.
Furthermore, in an effort to combat wasteful government spending, I introduced the United States Authorization and Sunset Commission Act of 2009 (S. 926). This legislation takes steps to establish the necessary framework to create a federal sunset commission. The commission will improve congressional oversight and facilitate the elimination of obsolete and duplicative government programs—focusing on unauthorized and non-performing programs. This legislation is modeled after the Sunset Act, which the State of Texas instituted in 1977. The Sunset Act has led to the elimination of over 50 agencies deemed duplicative and has saved Texans more than $700 million, and I am hopeful that S. 926 will reap the same benefits.
I appreciate having the opportunity to represent the interests of Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator