Opponent lashes Latta for payroll tax vote

HOLLAND — With the deadline to extend a federal payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits just days away, Fifth Congressional District candidate Angela Zimmann says it’s past time for Washington to set aside partisan bickering and get the job done for middle class families.

“Bob Latta and his fellow career politicians in Washington have once again chosen to put partisanship ahead of Ohio’s middle class,” says Zimmann. “At a time when so many are struggling, it is outrageous that Latta would rather raise taxes on hard-working Ohioans and strip away unemployment benefits for the jobless than reach across the aisle and do what’s right for our communities.”

Earlier this week, Republican Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts condemned House Republicans for their refusal to deal in good faith to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits.

“The House Republicans’ plan to scuttle the deal to help middle-class families is irresponsible and wrong,” said Brown, an early hero of the Tea Party movement, in a public statement. “During this time of divided government, both parties need to be reasonable and come to the negotiating table in good faith. We cannot allow rigid partisan ideology and unwillingness to compromise stand in the way of working together for the good of the American people.”

“Scott Brown is right and Bob Latta is wrong,” asserts Zimmann. “It is time for Washington to stop the partisan bickering and put middle class families first.”

The Payroll Tax Exemption reduces the amount an employee pays from 6.2 percent of their paycheck to 4.2 percent. This means that a worker earning $60,000 a year brings home around $1,200 more because of the exemption.