Democrat Presidential Candidates Debate Who Would Be Most Successful at Raising Taxes
Democratic Party presidential candidates presented ways during Saturday's debate, hosted by CBS News, in Iowa on how to best raise taxes in order to pay for various policies they hope to implement if elected.
Before a crowd at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday evening, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley debated foreign and domestic policy issues during the second Democratic Debate.
When a panelist asked the candidates how they would pay for things like debt-free college and mandatory family leave, responses focused on increased taxation.
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Clinton responded by saying that she would pay for her plans by "taxing the wealthy more" but also "closing corporate loopholes, deductions, and other kinds of favorable treatment."
"I can do it without raising the debt, without raising taxes on the middle class and making it reasonably manageable within our budget so that we can be fiscally responsible at the same time," said Clinton.
O'Malley touted his efforts as governor of Maryland, noting that he was able to freeze tuition and improve funding to public schools by getting "the top 14 percent of earners in our state to pay more in their income tax."
"So while other candidates will talk about the things they would like to do, I actually got these things done in a state that defended not only a Triple A bond rating, but the highest median income in America," continued O'Malley.
Sanders stated that America "must end corporate loopholes" and that "there must be a tax on Wall Street speculation."
"So we pay for this by demanding that the wealthiest people and the largest corporations, who have gotten away with murder for years, start paying their fair share," said Sanders.
When asked about how high he might tax upper class Americans, Sanders quipped that while he did not have the exact number in mind, it would be smaller than the taxation under former Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
"We haven't come up with an exact number yet, but it will not be as high as the number under Dwight D. Eisenhower, which was 90 percent … I'm not that much of a socialist compared to Eisenhower," said Sanders, getting laughter and applause from the audience.
The second Democratic presidential debate was moderated by John Dickerson of CBS News, questions also came from a panel featuring CBS News colleague Nancy Cordes, Kevin Cooney of local station KCCI, and the Des Moines Register's Kathie Obradovich.
