MTB Provisions Not Earmarks, Passage Critical, Says Norquist
The failure of Congress to pass a 2013 Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) is causing American manufacturers to pay “exorbitantly high” duties on the importation of component goods, said Grover Norquist, President of the Americans for Tax Reform, arguing that MTB…
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provisions do not constitute earmarks. The Senate moratorium on earmarks has impeded progress on the chamber’s introduction of an MTB bill (see 13101607). There is no federal money spent on the provisions, said Norquist in a Oct. 29 letter to lawmakers. “They’re completely transparent and widely publicized on the Congressional website. Every single one is thoroughly vetted by the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Department of Commerce and other U.S. government agencies,” said Norquist. “And while earmarks benefit only a tiny few, MTB tariff-tax cuts provide tax relief to a wide swath of U.S. industry and help keep U.S. jobs right here in America.” Norquist urged passage of U.S. Jobs Creation and Manufacturing Competiveness Act of 2013, H.R. 2708 (here), introduced in July.