DON'T BELIEVE THE LIES; TAX CUT IS A BOON

A showdown has long since developed over the tax-cut bills passed by both houses of Congress and a president who never misses an opportunity to trumpet his veto threat. At every stop, it seems, including his recent address to the nation's governors last week in St. Louis, President Clinton goes out of his way to argue against tax relief for the American people. Repetition doesn't improve the message. The Clinton arguments ring as hollow the 14th time as they did the first.

First, the Republican Congress is to be commended for persevering in its tax-cutting in the face of such ridicule from a near-united Democratic Party and its coalition partners in the national media. The amount of courage it took to stick with this program shouldn't be underestimated. We wish the tax-cut bills gave significantly more relief to overtaxed Americans. Still, given the fact that tax cutting wasn't even on the national agenda in January, and in the face of this opposition, to have passed the cuts before the August congressional recess is no mean feat.

Second, as Harry Truman said, facts are stubborn things, and the facts aren't being kind to the president. New studies by the Deloitte & Touche accounting firm show that while all taxpayers would get some benefit from the GOP tax bill, married couples earning less than $100,000 would get the largest tax reduction. This reflects the GOP's insistence on reducing the so-called marriage penalty built into current tax law.

Now, certainly it is true that the wealthiest -- or, more exactly, the highest earning taxpayers -- would get the most money back, but this much is axiomatic: A tax cut goes to those who pay taxes. This high-earning sector pays the most in taxes and, of course, would benefit from any reduction.

If we accept the elemental notion, too often ignored by the national media, that tax cuts go to those who pay, then most of the remaining hot air leaks out of the president's balloon. For the president and his allies never cease arguing that little relief is included in the GOP bills for low-income earners. But the facts are that the vast majority of this low-income group doesn't pay taxes to begin with. People who don't pay income taxes shouldn't get in line when it's time to pass a bill enacting relief for those who do, and who pay dearly.

Further, it should be noted that included in the House version of the tax bill is a provision that represents the work of U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia, a Southeast Missouri native. In only his second term, Hulshof is a member of the influential Ways and Means Committee, which writes the tax bills. His provision would allow farmers to set aside up to 20 percent of their annual income in good years for use in bad years such as we are going through this year and last. This original piece of work is being welcomed as a godsend to our hard-pressed agricultural producers. Hulshof has joined with co-sponsors such as U.S. Rep. Jim Talent, R-St. Louis, in pushing this key provision, and in holding hearings around the state to highlight it.

Finally, another piece of Clintonian disinformation must be knocked down. As The Wall Street Journal recently put it:

"Don't believe Mr. Clinton when he claims ... that the GOP tax cut is so large it would require drastic cuts in vital areas, such as education, biomedical research, defense and crime fighting.

"As the Congressional Budget Office shows since 1990, domestic spending (not including entitlements) has risen by 5 percent a year; that's roughly double the rate of inflation.

"Mr. Clinton has taken to lying with such fluency that his whoppers are barely even noticed. We're not optimistic that anyone else will keep him honest. But we thought our readers would like to know."

Amen to that. Congressional Republicans should hold fast on tax cuts, dare Mr. Clinton to veto them, and take their case to the people.