September 23,1999

Roth Statement on the President's Veto of the Tax Bill

WASHINGTON --Senate Finance Committee Chairman William V. Roth, Jr. (R-DE) today released the following statement on President Clinton's veto of the tax bill:

"With the President's veto, we have lost a significant opportunity to provide comprehensive and substantial tax relief for the American people," Roth stated. "While our economy may be doing well, there are still millions of Americans who have trouble saving enough to send their kids to college, or difficulty paying for the care of their elderly parents, or are having a tough time paying for their own health insurance.

"Those are just three of the many important financial problems facing taxpayers that this tax cut would have addressed. Now, these Americans must wait for the tax relief they need and deserve.

"As the Senate leader of the Kemp-Roth tax cut, I know that significant tax relief takes time to become law. While I am disappointed by the President's veto, I intend to continue to work for tax relief that helps people with the important tasks of life. Relief may be dead this year, but it is important for the American people to know that, as long as I am Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I will continue to fight for the tax relief they rightly deserve.

"With Clinton's undermining of the Medicare Commission, his failure in trade negotiations with China so far, and now his veto of the tax cut for the American people, 1999 will become known as President Clinton's "Year of Lost Opportunity."