Facts Falling Off the Fiscal Cliff:

In press conferences on the so-called fiscal cliff, House Speaker
John Boehner greatly exaggerated the negative effect on the economy of
raising taxes on upper-income individuals.

• Boehner erred when he said that “the problem with raising tax rates
  on the wealthiest Americans is that more than half of them are
  small-business owners.” That’s incorrect. Boehner’s spokesman said the
  speaker simply misspoke, but Boehner is a repeat offender with this
  bogus claim.
• Boehner repeatedly cited an Ernst & Young analysis to claim that
  raising taxes on upper-income earners would “destroy nearly 700,000
  jobs in our country.” But that analysis assumes revenue from the taxes
  would be used “to finance a higher level of government spending,” even
  though Obama would use the added revenue to reduce the deficit. The
  analysis also takes an extremely long view: Only “two-third to
  three-quarters of the long-run effect” is expected to occur within a
  decade.
• Boehner said raising taxes on those making over $250,000 “would slow
  our economy.” But according to a recently released report by the
  nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the effect on the economy would
  be “relatively small.”

The “fiscal cliff” is shorthand for a $560 billion mix of tax hikes
and deep spending cuts that are scheduled to kick in at the end of 2012.
The Congressional Budget Office warned
that absent intervention by federal legislators, the confluence of tax
hikes and spending cuts “will lead to economic conditions in 2013 that
will probably be considered a recession.” President Barack Obama and
congressional Democrats have advocated that the George W. Bush tax cuts
be allowed to expire for those making over $250,000. In a press conference on Nov. 9, Boehner said he believes a tax hike on the wealthy would harm an already fragile economy.

Boehner has got a point — some small-business owners will see taxes
go up, and the CBO projects some restraint on economic growth as a
result. But he and other Republicans exaggerate this greatly, even to
the point of making statements that are downright false sometimes.

Group’s ‘Obamacare Tax Form’ Evades Facts:

A conservative group misleads taxpayers on the Affordable Care Act
and the IRS’s future role in enforcing it.
Americans for Tax Reform posted a “projected”
IRS tax form on its website that claims to “help families and tax
specialists prepare” for new tax provisions under the health care law.
But ATR makes several false claims:

• The group claims taxpayers will have to disclose “personal
  identifying health information” to the IRS to prove they have insurance.
  It quotes an IRS official who said taxpayers will report their
  “insurance information.” But the official also said the agency will not
  collect “any personal health information.”
• ATR says employers must offer preventative coverage that includes
  “abortion and hair loss treatment.” That’s not true. The law requires
  smaller insurance plans to cover preventative services, but states
  decide if those services include abortion. Even then, each state must
  have at least one plan that does not cover abortion.
• The group says failing to comply with the law could result in
  “interest against your property.” The law specifically bans the IRS from
  filing liens and levies against persons who fail to pay the tax for
  lacking insurance.
• ATR claims taxpayers can apply for a waiver from the health care law. That’s false. The government has given temporary waivers to some companies — not taxpayers — regarding one provision of the law, which involves benefit caps.

ATR says it created the tax form — just days before the presidential
election — as a ”service to the public.” Our public service is to
correct the record.