Axelrod: No 'permanent' tax cuts for rich

Obama's adviser is mum on the extension of Bush tax breaks, emphasizes the ephemeral nature of the current code

Published November 14, 2010 5:33PM (EST)

A top adviser to President Barack Obama says the White House objects to "permanent" tax cuts for the wealthy but is silent on the possibility of extending current tax rates for the short term.

Obama adviser David Axelrod says the president only wants to make permanent the tax cuts for the middle class that expire at the end of this year. He urged Congress to resolve the tax-cut question during a lame-duck session of Congress.

Options facing Congress include extending middle-class tax cuts permanently while continuing tax cuts for the wealthy for only one or two years, or to adopt short-term extensions of all tax cuts.

Axelrod says he would leave negotiations to Obama and lawmakers. He appeared on "Fox News Sunday" and NBC's "Meet the Press."


By Associated Press

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Barack Obama David Axelrod George W. Bush Taxes