Who says there's no honor among thieves?
Washington Post columnist Jeffrey H. Birnbaum has an interesting post today at washingtonpost.com about a tax break that Congress is about to give members of state legislatures.
The change was sought by National Conference of State Legislatures, a lobbying group of elected lawmakers across the country, including Pennsylvania.
The measure passed the House Ways and Means Committee, headed by N.Y. Rep. Charlie Rangel, and now goes to the full House for approval. It would cost taxpayers an additional $4 million to provide tax breaks for state lawmakers.
The bill would allow state lawmakers to write off their state-provided per diem payments, even for days when their legislatures are in "pro forma session," according to Birnmaum. "Pro forma session" refers to days when the legislature declares itself to be in session but is not doing any real work, Birnbaum says.
Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee opposed the change, but the Democratic majority moved it to the full House.
Birnbaum said an official of the nonpartisan congressional Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the yearly deduction could reach $55,000 for a state lawmaker whose legislature declared enough pro forma days.
This is the latest example of how lawmakers, at both the national and state level, fleece taxpayers. It doesn't matter if the Democrats or Republicans are in charge. The taxpayer gets it in the end.
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