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Senator Byrd

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News outlets seeking more information should call Senator Byrd's Communications staff at (202) 224-3904 or at (304) 342-5855.

May 17, 2007

Byrd Supports Tax Relief for West Virginia Families

U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., applauded today’s passage of a fiscally responsible budget framework that will deliver tax relief for middle-income West Virginians. Byrd, a senior member of the Senate Budget Committee, played a key role in crafting the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Resolution, which extends tax cuts for middle-income families, including the child tax credit, marriage penalty relief, and the ten percent individual income tax bracket.

“The rising cost of everyday expenses is making it harder and harder for West Virginians to make ends meet,” said Byrd. “Extending these tax cuts will ease the burden for families who worry every month about being able to pay the bills. This budget reflects the priorities of West Virginia and the American people -- it sets out a fiscally responsible course in Washington while delivering needed tax relief for families.”

“The federal tax system should be structured to help our families, not hold them back. That is exactly what we accomplish in this budget,” Byrd explained. “We extend the child tax credit. We boost the marriage penalty relief. We shield small businesses and family farmers from the estate tax. And we protect working families from the burden of the alternative minimum tax.”

The budget blueprint, which lays out spending priorities for the next fiscal year, includes an extension of a number of tax-cuts aimed at the middle class and families. This tax relief is of particular importance to the families and the middle-class in the Mountain State, many of whom face serious financial strain due to rising gas prices and other expenses.

Tax Cuts Included in the Congressional Budget:

• The Child Tax Credit: Provides a $1000 federal credit for each dependent under the age of 17.

• Marriage Penalty Relief: A common-sense measure that protects married couples from paying a higher tax rate than they would individually.

• 10 Percent Rate: Establishes a 10 percent tax rate on the first $12,000 earned by a married couple.

• Estate Tax: Protects small businesses and family farms from the Estate Tax.  

• Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) Fix: Protects millions of middle-class Americans from paying higher taxes as a result of the Alternative Minimum Tax, or AMT, which was originally created to ensure that wealthy individuals paid their fair share of taxes. Increasingly, however, it threatens to impact middle-class Americans. The budget shields 20 million middle-income Americans from this tax in 2007.

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