Boehner Tax Stance Shows Reluctance to Give In Too Soon
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House Speaker John Boehner has drawn a rhetorical line against higher tax rates for top earners, even as he negotiates with President Barack Obama, because he can’t be seen as conceding too much too soon.
A slow-walk approach to averting more than $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts set for January is crucial for Boehner whether the talks succeed, according to Republicans in Congress. If they don’t reach agreement, Boehner will have gathered a coalition of lawmakers he’ll need for a more limited deal. If he succeeds, he’ll have convinced anti-tax Republicans that he fought to extract spending cuts.