Julie Vogtman, Senior Counsel

Happy Tax Day! I realize paying taxes is not something most people relish, but when I have to send a check to Uncle Sam, I try to focus on all of the important services my tax dollars support. And I try not to think about the people who make a whole lot more money than I do but pay a smaller share of their incomes in taxes – like, say, the 22,000 millionaires who paid less than 15 percent of their income in federal taxes in 2009. (Even if you paid only a few dollars in federal income tax, that’s more than the 1,470 households with incomes over $1 million in 2009 who paid zero dollars in federal income tax.)

I know I’m not the only one who believes it’s wrong for some millionaires and billionaires to pay a lower tax rate than many middle-income families pay. Last night, 51 Senators (49 Democrats, 1 Independent and 1 Republican) voted to begin debate on the Paying a Fair Share Act (S. 2230), often referred to as the “Buffett Rule,” which would require households with incomes above $1 million to pay at least a 30 percent income tax rate (with a phase-in for incomes between $1 million and $2 million).

The clock is ticking down to a vote in the House on the FY 2013 budget resolution introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). The vote is scheduled for this afternoon, and, unfortunately, the budget is expected to pass. As we've explained, the Ryan plan would slash vital services for women and their families while giving trillions in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations. Though Rep. Ryan titled his budget the "Path to Prosperity," it seems clear to me that in his vision, prosperity belongs to the one percent.

Over on the Senate side, however, we can thank Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) for introducing a bill today that would establish a meaningful path to broadly shared prosperity. Sen. Harkin's Rebuild America Act is nearly as sweeping in scope as the Ryan budget but presents an entirely different — and refreshingly positive — vision for our country's future. Where the Ryan budget would shred supports that low- and middle-income people depend on throughout their lives, the Rebuild America Act would invest in measures to help ordinary Americans obtain good jobs; gain access to quality child care, education and job training; and improve their retirement security. And where the Ryan budget would cut essential programs to pay for huge tax breaks for the rich and corporations, the Rebuild America Act would finance needed investments by raising revenue from those with the greatest ability to pay.