To the editor,
June of this year we were informed by the United State Supreme Court, the highest court in this land, that Obamacare is indeed a tax on all American citizens. We were lied to when we were told that Obamacare is not a tax. Pelosi said “we need to pass this bill in order to find out what is in it.” The Pandora’s Box has been opened and the revealed truth is unprecedented new taxes, new fines, new mandates and new fees.
Some facts to consider regarding Obamacare are: new fines on individuals who do not purchase government approved health insurance, new fines on employers who fail to comply with government health insurance mandates, new annual tax on brand name pharmaceuticals, a new 2.3 percent excise tax on manufacturers and importers of certain medical devices (the tax passed on to the consumer and already causing layoffs in the medical device industry). The new taxes continue with a 10 percent tax on indoor UV tanning services and an increase from 7.5 percent to 10 percent of income, the threshold after which individuals can deduct out of pocket medical expenses,
Obamacare contains 18 separate tax increases that will cost taxpayers $503 billion between 2010 and 2019. The following three major taxes make up nearly half of the new revenue raised by Obamacare. The first is Section 1401 which imposes a 40 percent excise tax on “Cadillac” health insurance plans. This new tax applies to health plans valued in excess of $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families. The second is Section 1411 which increases the Medicare tax on wages and the self-employed by 0.9 percent and imposes a new 3.8 percent surtax on certain investment income for individuals over $200,000 and couples over $250,000. This will hurt small businesses. The third Section 1411 imposes a new payroll tax on investment. This tax applies the new higher 3.8 percent Medicare tax to investment income such as capital gains, dividends, rents and royalties and is scheduled to take effect in 2013.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) transfers vast power to Washington bureaucrats who will control the dollars and decisions that should be in the hands of individual patients and their doctors. Obamacare creates a giant network for federal micromanagement of health care, benefits, insurance markets and the delivery of medical care. Obamacare will slow economic growth, suppress wages and reduce private employment while drastically increasing federal jobs to oversee our health care. Already 16,000 new IRS agents have been added to police and enforce Obamacare.
Obamacare is an extremely complex and hard to understand taxation contained in 2,700 pages of new laws, fees, fines and mandates. It will impact all Americans in order to pay for this massive intrusion and control of our health care.
I urge you to join me in supporting candidates who are dedicated to providing quality health care without creating a bureaucratic nightmare.
Julie Hindman
International Falls, MN
