Proponents recommend voting YES because:
This amendment repeals the AMT. Except for the telephone tax, the alternative minimum tax is the phoniest tax we have ever passed. The AMT, in 1969, was meant to hit 155 taxpayers who used legal means to avoid taxation, under the theory that everybody ought to pay some income tax.
This very year, more than 2,000 people who are very wealthy are not paying any income tax or alternative minimum income tax. So it is not even working and hitting the people it is supposed to hit. Right now, this year, 2007, the year we are in, there are 23 million families that are going to be hit by this tax. It is a phony revenue machine, over 5 years, $467 billion dollars. We are going to have to have a point of order this year to keep these 23 million taxpayers from paying this tax. We might as well do away with it right now, once and for all, and be honest about it.
Opponents recommend voting NO because:
The reality of the budget resolution is this may not have anything to do with eliminating the alternative minimum tax. The one thing it will do is reduce the revenue of the Government over the next 5 years by $533 billion, plunging us right back into deficit. Look, we can deal with the AMT. We have dealt with it in the underlying budget resolution for the next 2 years. There will be no increase in the number of people affected by the AMT for the next 2 years under the budget resolution, and that is paid for. Unfortunately, this amendment is not paid for. It would plunge us back into deficit. I urge my colleagues to vote no.
Democrats voting on 2007-108 | ||
| Daniel Akaka | NO | HI Democrat Jr Senator |
| Evan Bayh | NO | IN Democratic Jr Senator |
| Jeff Bingaman | NO | NM Democrat Jr Senator |
| Barbara Boxer | NO | CA Democratic incumbent |
| Sherrod Brown | NO | OH Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. |
| Robert Byrd | NO | WV Democrat Sr Senator |
| Maria Cantwell | NO | WA Democrat Jr Senator |
| Benjamin Cardin | NO | MD Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. |
| Tom Carper | NO | DE Democrat Jr Senator |
| Bob Casey | NO | PA Democratic challenger, state treasurer |
| Hillary Clinton | NO | NY Democrat Jr Senator |
| Kent Conrad | NO | ND Democrat Sr Senator |
| Chris Dodd | NO | CT Democratic incumbent |
| Byron Dorgan | NO | ND Democratic incumbent |
| Russell Feingold | NO | WI Democratic incumbent |
| Dianne Feinstein | NO | CA Democrat Sr Senator |
| Daniel Inouye | NO | HI Democratic incumbent |
| Ted Kennedy | NO | MA Democrat Sr Senator |
| Amy Klobuchar | NO | MN DFL challenger, Hennepin County Attorney |
| Herbert Kohl | NO | WI Democrat Sr Senator |
| Patrick Leahy | NO | VT Democratic incumbent |
| Joseph Lieberman | NO | CT Democratic Jr Senator; Gore's VP nominee; ran for Pres. 2004 |
| Blanche Lambert Lincoln | NO | AR Democratic incumbent |
| Claire McCaskill | NO | MO Democratic Jr Senator; previously state Auditor |
| Robert Menendez | NO | NJ Democratic appointee; previously U.S. Rep. |
| Barbara Mikulski | NO | MD Democratic incumbent |
| Patty Murray | NO | WA Democratic incumbent |
| Ben Nelson | NO | NE Democrat Jr Senator |
| Bill Nelson | NO | FL Democrat Sr Senator |
| Barack Obama | NO | IL Democratic Jr Senator |
| Harry Reid | NO | NV Democratic incumbent |
| Ken Salazar | NO | CO Democratic Jr Senator |
| Charles Schumer | NO | NY Democratic incumbent |
| Debbie Stabenow | NO | MI Democrat Jr Senator |
| Jon Tester | NO | MT Democratic Jr Senator |
| James Webb | NO | VA Democratic challenger |
| Sheldon Whitehouse | NO | RI Democratic Jr Senator, previously attorney general |
| Ron Wyden | NO | OR Democratic incumbent |
Republicans voting on 2007-108 | ||
| Robert Bennett | YES | UT Republican incumbent |
| Kit Bond | YES | MO Republican incumbent |
| Sam Brownback | YES | KS Republican incumbent |
| Jim Bunning | YES | KY Republican incumbent |
| Richard Burr | YES | NC Republican Jr Senator; previously US Representative |
| Tom Coburn | YES | OK Republican Jr Senator; previously US Rep |
| Bob Corker | YES | TN Republican challenger |
| Michael Crapo | YES | ID Republican incumbent |
| Jim DeMint | YES | SC Republican Jr Senator; previously US Representative |
| John Ensign | YES | NV Republican Jr Senator |
| Chuck Grassley | YES | IA Republican incumbent |
| Judd Gregg | NO | NH Republican incumbent |
| Orrin Hatch | YES | UT Republican Sr Senator |
| Kay Bailey Hutchison | YES | TX Republican Jr Senator |
| James Inhofe | YES | OK Republican Sr Senator |
| Johnny Isakson | YES | GA Republican Jr Senator; previously US Representative |
| Jon Kyl | YES | AZ Republican Jr Senator |
| Richard Lugar | YES | IN Republican Sr Senator |
| Mel Martinez | YES | FL Republican Jr Senator; previously US Housing Secretary |
| John McCain | YES | AZ Republican incumbent |
| Lisa Murkowski | YES | AK Republican incumbent |
| Richard Shelby | YES | AL Republican incumbent |
| Olympia Snowe | NO | ME Republican Sr Senator |
| Arlen Specter | YES | PA Republican incumbent |
| Craig Thomas | YES | WY Republican Sr Senator |
| John Thune | YES | SD Republican Jr Senator; previously US Representative |
| David Vitter | YES | LA Republican Jr Senator; previously US Representative |
| George Voinovich | NO | OH Republican incumbent |
Independents voting on 2007-108 | ||
| Bernie Sanders | NO | VT Independent challenger, U.S. Rep |
| Democrats:
YES 0; NO 38
Republicans: YES 25; NO 3 Independents: YES 0; NO 1 |