Another GOP lie debunked: ‘Obamacare’ not ‘the largest tax increase in the history of the world’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Those Tea-Publicans, always given to hyperbolic exaggeration. They have to describe everything in apocalyptic terms that just makes them look foolish.

Ezra Klein debunks the latest GOP lie: No, ‘Obamacare’ isn’t ‘the largest tax increase in the history of the world’ (in one chart):

Since the Supreme Court decision, Republicans have been calling the Affordable Care Act “the largest tax increase in the history of the world.” Politifact rates this false. Kevin Drum’s got a table of the 15 significant tax increases since 1950, and the Affordable Care Act, which amounts to a tax increase of 0.49 percent of GDP, comes in 10th. Austin Frakt took Drum’s table and made a chart:

Obamacare-tax-chart

So no, the Affordable Care Act isn’t the “biggest tax hike in history.” It’s not even the biggest tax hike in the past 60 years. Or 50 years. Or 30 years. Or 20 years.

And yet, we will continue to hear from Tea-Publicans that "Obamacare" is “the largest tax increase in the history of the world,” because they are committed to the Big Lie propaganda technique. Will our feckless media villagers call them out for their lies when it occurs? Don't hold your breath.

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5 thoughts on “Another GOP lie debunked: ‘Obamacare’ not ‘the largest tax increase in the history of the world’”

  1. http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/07/03/510349/study-medicaid-expansion-saves-states-billions/

    ThinkProgress: Actually, as a percentage of the economy (which is the proper way to measure the size of a tax increase), the taxes in Obamacare are smaller than those in several tax packages of the last half century, including President George H.W. Bush’s in 1990, President Bill Clinton’s in 1993, and President Ronald Reagan’s in 1982. And of course, Obamacare will actually cut taxes for millions of middle class families. The bulk of the Affordable Care Act’s tax increases are on upper-income Americans.

    http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/06/28/505510/four-reasons-why-the-courts-decision-to-uphold-obamacare-is-good-news-for-the-economy/

  4. This chart is extremely misleading as it shows the amount of tax as a percent of GDP. GDP in 1951 was only about $349 billion, so the 1951 tax ( 150% of GDP)was less than 1 trillion. Obamacare is 50% of today’s GDP (between 14 and 15 trillion) and therefore is between 7 and 8 trillion. Nothing else in the history of this country comes close to that amount, not even the Clinton tax increase of 1993 which was half as much in dollars at about 3 trillion or so.

    Facts: As a percent of GDP, Obamacare is not the biggest tax increase in the history of this country by far. In total dollars however, Obamacare is more than double that of any tax increase. It is by far the largest tax increase this country has ever seen in dollars.

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