VIDEO: Smith Supports Tax Extenders Package to Provide Certainty to American Families and Businesses

Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) spoke on the House floor today in support of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act. The bill brings certainty to American families and businesses by making more than 20 tax relief provisions permanent and extending other provisions which expired at the end of calendar year 2014.



“This legislation prevents large tax increases on the American people while creating much needed certainty in our tax code,” Smith said. “It allows producers, small businesses, and families to plan for the future by permanently extending important provisions like enhanced Section 179 small business expensing. The bill also enacts important reforms to ensure taxpayers get the responsiveness they deserve from the IRS and are not harassed by the agency for their political views.

“I hear from Nebraskans daily about the difficulty of making financial decisions when they do not know what their tax obligations will be until the end of the year. This bill makes great progress toward ending the cycle of uncertainty. Today the House laid the groundwork for the comprehensive reforms our tax code desperately needs.”

The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act passed the House this afternoon with Smith’s support.

Remarks on House floor:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate this time. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your efforts on tax policy – better tax policy.

The U.S. Congress owes the American people better tax policy than we currently have.

We currently have so many temporary provisions that so many Americans are wondering and trying to predict what the tax policy will be by the end of the year. That’s not what we should be about.

We should be about establishing permanent tax policy whenever we can.

I appreciate the bipartisan interest in today’s bill because I know a lot of work has gone into this, and I know constituents in Nebraska’s Third District can appreciate what permanent tax policy can deliver, especially as it sets us on a trajectory to comprehensive tax reform.

We hear from both sides that we need comprehensive tax reform. I agree.

This is a great way to move the ball down the field. We can end up with better tax policy today as a result of this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to adopt this legislation.

Thank you. I yield back.

Smith is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy.