Washington, DC – Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO), pointed to today’s announcement of a 10.2 percent unemployment rate as a very serious reason not to further burden a floundering US economy with tremendous tax hikes and job losses that are expected to result from a government take over of health care.

According to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), the surtax imposed by Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill would raise taxes on small businesses by $150 billion.  Moreover, some economic models project that such a tax increases could cost the economy 5.5 million more jobs.^*

 “These unemployment numbers show several unfortunate realities,” said Congressman Akin.  “First, that the tremendously wasteful stimulus package did not have the intended effect”

“Second, the levying of billions of dollars of taxes on our small businesses, as well as the consequent losses of millions of more jobs brings the proposal for socializing healthcare from the realm of the irrational to the dangerously delusional,” said Akin.

^*According to methodology developed by Dr. Christina Romer, chair of the of Council on Economic Advisors, and Jared Bernstein, the Vice President’s chief economist, these sorts of tax increases coupled with the employer mandates in the bill- would result in as many as 5.5 million more jobs lost.