I am a conservative Democrat and I do not believe in raising taxes on working Americans. In fact, I will only vote to lower taxes for working Americans. George Bush and Randy Kuhl have been asleep at the helm while this nation has spiraled into financial crisis and record debt. We need a new way forward. When I am elected to Congress, I will vote for middle class tax cutswhile ensuring that the wealthiest 1% amongst us start paying their fair share. Multimillionaires and Big Oil corporations don't need tax handouts, but middle class Americans do need tax relief, and that's why I will fight to lower your taxes. -- Retired Navy Commander Eric Massa

1. LOWERING TAXES FOR WORKING AMERICANS
   1. $1,000 Middle Class Tax Credit. Eric Massa will support a plan to provide a $1,000 per family refundable tax credit for those making less than $250,000 a year. Massa's plan will directly result in lower taxes for over 97% of families in NY-29.¹
   2. End the Income Tax for Most Seniors. Eric Massa believes that our seniors have already paid their fair share of taxes. Massa will support a plan to remove all income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000 a year.
   3. Simplify and increase higher education tax credit. Instead of having 3 or more different tax credits related to education, many of which are unknown to the eligible families, Eric Massa will work to streamline the credits and expand them to make college more affordable to everyone. He will work to provide a tax credit that will cover all of the costs for the first $4,000 of tuition expenses for first time students.
   4. Make the Tax Code Fair for the Self-Employed. Right now the self employed have to cover both the employer share and the employee share of payroll taxes. Massa will work to make sure that the self employed making less than $250,000 a year do not have to pay more than workers at large corporations. We have to support our small businesses and family farms first.
   5. Automatic Homeowner Deduction. Right now taxpayers cannot take advantage of the tax deduction for their mortgage if they do not itemize their taxes. Currently only 35% of Americans do² and only one-half of the 72 million American homeowners itemize.³ This means that there are millions of Americans, many with incomes below $50,000, who are not being allowed to deduct their mortgages from their taxes. To fix this Eric Massa will offer legislation that allows all taxpayers who don't itemize the opportunity to deduct their mortgage payments. This will help at least an estimated ten million Americans who currently do not itemize their tax deductions and who own a home.⁴ Eric Massa will pay for this by letting the Bush tax cuts for the ultra wealthy expire, while continuing to support tax cuts for small businesses.
2. END THE GIVEAWAYS TO THE RICH AND POWERFUL
   1. Remove the Big Oil Tax Breaks. Kuhl voted for Bush's Energy plan in 2005.⁵ "The legislation includes $14.5 billion in tax breaks over the next 10 years, with a majority going to traditional energy interests such as coal, oil, natural gas and utilities."⁶
      
      The plan actually gave away even more to the oil companies than Bush originally asked for. The president's proposed budget calls for $6.7 billion in tax breaks for energy, with 72 percent going toward renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency, compared with about 6 percent in the House plan... At the time Bush said of the bill, "I will tell you with $55 oil we don't need incentives to oil and gas companies to explore."⁷ That's right, the Big Oil handouts George Bush wanted weren't excessive enough for Randy Kuhl.
      
      In Congress Kuhl not only voted for the original tax break, he voted at least four times to protect big oil tax breaks.^8,9,10,11 Eric Massa believes this is wrong and will end these handouts to the big oil companies generating billions in extra revenue.
      
      Revenue: Around $14 billion over the next decade.¹²
   2. Ending the loophole for hedge funds. Who do you think is paying a higher tax rate right now; a waitress trying to make ends meet making $33,000 a year, or a hedge fund manager on Wall Street who made $150 million trading in bad mortgages. Under the Bush-Kuhl tax structure it's the waitress, who's in the 25% bracket while the hedge fund manager is allowed to pay only 15%. Right now hedge fund managers making hundreds of millions of dollars a year are paying a lower tax rate than hard working families across the country because of a tax loophole. This is un-American and unjust. Eric Massa will work to close that loophole and use the funds to provide middle class tax relief and to reduce the deficit. Closing this loophole is estimated to generate as much as $32 billion over the next decade while providing tax relief for middle class Americans.¹³
      
      Revenue: $32 billion over the next decade.¹⁴
      
   3. Ending Free Rides on Corporate Jets. Eric Massa will close the corporate jet loophole which allows businesses to take a deduction when executives make personal use of their company's jet, an exception that is projected to cost taxpayers nearly $3 billion over the next decade.¹⁵
      
      Revenue: $3 billion over the next decade.¹⁶
      
   4. Requiring the Rich to Pay Their Fair Share. To pay for middle class tax relief Eric Massa will remove the Bush tax cuts for the super rich that even John McCain voted against.17 If you're family is making less than $250,000 a year, then you will see no tax increase under Massa's plan. If you are making more than that, you will go back to paying the tax rate you did in the 1990s. A nonpartisan source noted this would generate nearly $143.4 billion over the next decade.¹⁸
      
      Revenue: $143.4 billion over the next decade.¹⁹
      
ENDING GOVERNMENT WASTE
1. Requiring a balanced budget. Right now, the national debt is nearly $10 trillion (and that's before the $700 billion Bush bailout)20. We are currently paying $243.7 billion a year (over 13% of the budget) on just the interest for our national debt. The fact of the matter is that Randy Kuhl and George Bush have been on an out of control spending spree since they took office. The federal government's lack of fiscal discipline is appalling and its time for Congress to balance the budget, the same way every American has to. We simply cannot continue to spend more than we take in, our national credit card is maxed out. That is why Eric Massa will work for a balanced budget every year that he is in Congress.
2. Demanding earmark reform. Like John McCain, Eric Massa believes there needs to be massive earmark reform. Thanks to Randy Kuhl, New York has its very own "Bowling Alley to Nowhere" in Canandaigua. Kuhl boasted about his ability to secure $2.5 Million to ensure that a big GOP donor's bowling alley wouldn't go under. There is a better, more responsible way forward. Congress passes 13 annual appropriations bills which provide legal authority to use treasury funds for all government programs. However the funding process has been poisoned by pork barrel earmarks which Congressmen use to fund side projects. Consider just some of the projects Kuhl has voted for:
   • $25 million to a program to conserve rare cats and dogs in other countries.²¹
   • $129,000 for the "perfect Christmas tree,"²²
   • $200,000 for a Lobster Institute,²³
   • $150,000 for the American Ballet Theatre in New York City²⁴
   Eric Massa thinks it is time for new leadership in Washington that will end the government waste and pet projects for special interests. By John McCain's standard there are approximately $18 billion in earmarks in the current budget. Over a decade, eliminating wasteful earmarks that have not gone through the proper legislative process would add up to $180 billion in savings.²⁵
   
   Savings: At least $180 billion in savings over the next decade.²⁶
3. Stop Spending In Iraq. Right now we are spending $12 billion a month in Iraq²⁷ while the Iraqi government is running a budget surplus of $79 billion.²⁸ That's $144 billion a year we could be spending here at home, or nearly $1.5 trillion a decade.
   
   Savings: Up to $1.5 trillion in savings over the next decade.²⁹