President Barack Obama's plan to slap a $10-per-barrel tax on oil production is nothing more than "a freebie" that breaks his promise "not to gouge middle-income Americans," Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist told
Newsmax TV on Friday.
"He's just having fun," Norquist told "Newsmax Now" host John Bachman. "Everybody knows it's a joke, so how do you get worked up and get mad at him?"
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"What is annoying is that he ran for office twice promising to never raise taxes on anyone you earned less than $250,000 a year. That was his pledge.
"Now, Obamacare had eight taxes that hit the middle class," he added. "This is a tax that hits directly middle-income Americans — and it really puts the lie to his entire campaign."
The president's proposal, to be including in the budget he presents to Congress next week, is even more insulting because none of the revenues from the tax will be "going to roads and bridges," Norquist said.
"This is all about putting money into so-called high speed rail and light rail, things nobody uses," he told Bachman. "It's not going to do one pot hole. It's not going to widen any road — and it's not going to reduce congestion.
"It's going to build subways and high-speed rail, which is going to chew up the time and effort and the lines that you need, the space that you need for driving cars. This will slow traffic and build a bunch of stuff nobody wants or uses.
"Every penny is going away from cars and away from the effort to expand the infrastructure for highways and roads," Norquist said. "That's how he's going to spend this one."
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