Rick Scott is mad at corporations — but he still doesn't think they should pay taxes
His promise of a congressional ‘backlash’ for ‘woke corporate America’ does not apparently include any actual backlash.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is furious at the American business community for speaking out against voter suppression. But he’s apparently not angry enough to raise their taxes.
Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, penned an open letter on Fox Business on Monday to “Woke Corporate America.” In it, he accused companies, including Major League Baseball and Delta Airlines, of corruption for coming out against the recent GOP-backed voter suppression legislation enacted in Georgia. Scott threatened retribution if Republicans regain congressional majorities.
“There is a massive backlash coming. You will rue the day when it hits you. That day is November 8, 2022. That is the day Republicans will take back the Senate and the House. It will be a day of reckoning,” he vowed, assuming that his party will win despite opposing all of President Joe Biden’s popular agenda.
“Your latest attempts to hurt Georgia’s economy will help us do something that is long overdue – make corporate welfare a thing of the past. There will be no number of well-connected lobbyists you can hire to save you. There will be no amount of donations you can make that will save you. There will be nowhere for you to hide,” Scott continued.
An April 2 New York Times analysis found Georgia’s recently enacted voter suppression laws could make it harder for Democratic voters to participate in future Georgia elections. Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senate Committee, has targeted Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock as a candidate he hopes the GOP can defeat next November, and he defended the anti-voting legislation that could make that easier.
However, despite Scott’s clear threat that the “backlash is coming” for American corporations, he seemingly does not actually want to punish them.
According to Axios, he said Tuesday that he does not think his rage will stop him from trying to block corporate tax increases — like the rate increases proposed by President Joe Biden to pay for his $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan.
Scott strongly backed Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which lowered corporate tax rates from 35% down to 21%. Biden has proposed a 28% rate and loophole closures, which would help fund massive investments in roads, bridges, broadband, water systems, transit, clean energy, and human infrastructure like child care.
Scott has opposed these, suggesting that hurting corporations would be bad for workers and America’s economy. In a March 31 press release, he wrote, “Tax increases don’t create jobs, provide sustainable government revenue or solve problems. My advice to Biden and Democrats in Washington? Follow Florida’s playbook for economic success. Focus on cutting taxes and eliminating burdensome regulations and fight every day to grow jobs.”
He has long pushed for pro-business policies as in the national interest. As recently as Feb. 3, he wrote a Fox News opinion piece saying that, “There have been few other times in American history when the need for economic growth through strategic, responsible, pro-business policies has been as great as it is today. ”
The threats of “backlash” thus appear empty, as Scott has made clear he will continue to the bidding of the corporate interests who bankroll him and continue to fund his committee.
A spokesperson for Scott did not immediately respond to an inquiry for this story.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
Recommended
Biden calls for expanded child tax credit, taxes on wealthy in $7.2 trillion budget plan
President Joe Biden released his budget request for the upcoming fiscal year Monday, calling on Congress to stick to the spending agreement brokered last year and to revamp tax laws so that the “wealthy pay their fair share.”
By Jennifer Shutt, States Newsroom - March 11, 2024December jobs report: Wages up, hiring steady as job market ends year strong
Friday’s jobs data showed a strong, resilient U.S. labor market with wages outpacing inflation — welcome news for Americans hoping to have more purchasing power in 2024.
By Casey Quinlan - January 05, 2024Biden’s infrastructure law is boosting Nevada’s economy. Sam Brown opposed it.
The Nevada Republican U.S. Senate hopeful also spoke out against a rail project projected to create thousands of union jobs
By Jesse Valentine - November 15, 2023