Congressman Wally Herger issued a statement today regarding the impact Speaker Pelosi’s government takeover of health care will have on taxes and the economy. The bill includes over $750 billion in new taxes on small businesses, individuals who cannot afford health coverage, and employers who cannot afford to provide coverage that meet federal bureaucrats’ standards. As a result, 5.5 million jobs could be lost due to taxes on businesses that cannot afford to provide health insurance coverage, according to a model developed by President Obama’s top economic advisor Chair Christina Romer. You can view the top ten tax increases in the Pelosi plan here. Herger’s remarks follow below:

“In the last nine months we have lost three million jobs and continue to struggle with a reeling economy. The majority of job losses have come from small businesses, which are our most reliable source of new jobs. Yet Speaker Pelosi continues to pursue a health care plan that will only kill jobs and drag down the economy further. The massive government-run program that she is looking to implement will cost well over one trillion dollars and result in damaging tax increases on middle-class families. History has proven that tax hikes stunt economic growth and job creation. It’s particularly irresponsible to pursue such a failed economic policy at a time when unemployment is already at a twenty-six year high. America can’t afford the big government goals of Speaker Pelosi. I am calling on Congressional Democrats to support the Republican alternative that will cut health care costs by up to 10 percent without raising taxes or increasing the deficit.”

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