Sadly, the headline is real. This is not something from The Onion. I seriously thought when I read this item on my Facebook feed from Tax.com, I almost snarfed my coffee.
Adding insult to injury, these same Michigan Republicans first cut the Earned Income Tax Credit for actual living babies last year.
Follow me below the fold where I will discuss why we should take this seriously despite the complete level of illogic and hypocrisy:
Columnist David Brunari reports that Michigan lawmakers proposed two bills, HB 5684 and HB 5685 which would award a tax credit for a 12 week old fetus.
Besides the absurdity of awarding tax credits for fetuses, the very serious question of do women who miscarry qualify for the credit. And if so, what kind of "proof" will they be forced to give to get the credit. Will it be as humiliating as proving "honest rape"?
Mind you, this blog is from Tax.Com, not exactly the Boston Phoenix or the Village Voice, so it is good to see conservatives think this is ridiculous:
What is wrong with such a measure? Everything. First, Adam Smith, who I doubt was pro choice, said that the tax laws should be used to raise revenue. They should not be used to make political statements. Why do we know this is political statement? Because only a nincompoop would think the tax laws could be administered in such a manner. You can have a debate about abortion; just don’t bring the tax laws into it.
The fact is in the reality-based world, the Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock, Paul Ryan wing of the GOP can't help themselves. They will always find a way to offend women across the political spectrum. To paraphrase the little parable by Fergus at the end of The Crying Game, it's in their nature.
Indeed. The party that fetishizes the fetus; hates actual living children — or at least those born to people poor enough to qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. That they did it to justify a $1.1 billion tax cut for Michigan businesses makes them even big Mitt Romney cum Ayn Rand douches.
Earlier this year, Governor Rick Snyder (R) initially proposed completely eliminating the Earned Income Tax Credit, which now gives qualifying families around $430 annually. State Senate Democrats opposed Snyder's plan, managing to save the EITC, but with significant cuts. When the governor's controversial revisions to Michigan's tax code passed the state legislature in May, the state EITC was reduced from 20 percent of the national average to 6 percent.
The same revisions included scrapping the Michigan business tax code in favor of a flat 6 percent business tax. Next year, two-thirds of businesses will not have to pay state corporate income taxes, according to the Associated Press.
But with a straight face, a spokeswoman said that Governor Snyder is committed to fighting
poverty.
"His overall plan aims to help address and reverse that trend. He's also worked hard to ensure essential and solid safety net services that lower income individuals rely on, like protecting Medicaid access and services," (Sara) Wurfel said.
Only in Bizarro World Wingnuttia does it make sense to give tax breaks to fetuses while cutting them for
actual living children.
This nonsense also illustrates how tone deaf many Republicans remain. Last year, Republicans in Michigan managed to cut the earned income tax credit. That was a tax credit for live, out of the womb, people. The liberals are having a field day with this juxtaposition. They will be highlighting the following for a long time: GOP wants tax credits for unborn, throws live kids under the bus.
They really are fervent fetus fetishists, proving they love the fetus; hate the mother and child.
7:24 AM PT: Yes this is humorous but I predict this kind of legislation will spread thanks to ALEC. Essentially it confers personhood status to a fetus in an underhanded way.
The other thing I find disturbing is that the same people who had a fake tantrum about abortion paying for Obamacare even though the Hyde Amendment already banned it and objected to tax dollars funding abortions, are now in favor of giving tax credits to the unborn.