Rep. Chaffetz: Obama Tax Plan a 'Nonstarter'

Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz on Sunday declared President Barack Obama's planned tax increase a "nonstarter."

"We're not just one good tax increase away from prosperity in this nation," Chaffetz said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Senior White House officials on Saturday said Obama plans to propose tax hikes in his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday.

With both houses of Congress now in Republican hands, at least two of his proposals are expected to go nowhere: raising the capital gains and inheritance taxes. The GOP has long favored lowering both.

Obama's plan to propose the tax increases is believed to be more of a symbolic nod to his liberal base, and the Associated Press' Julie Pace noted on CNN's "Inside Politics" on Sunday that Obama is embarking on a non-vital trip to India soon after the speech rather than staying in town and trying to drum up support for his agenda. That, Pace said, suggests that not even Obama expects his tax proposals to come to fruition.

Chaffetz told CNN that Treasury has just seen a record number of receipts, so higher taxes aren't needed.

"Are you actually going to grow the economy and jobs? Are entrepreneurs going to be better off? Are small businessmen going to be better off with more taxes and more government?" he asked. "We've got to make sure we get a regulatory environment that's predictable, that we bring those tax rates down, and that we quit spending this money that we don't have.

"More government, a $300-plus billion tax bill from Barack Obama is not the formula for this country to succeed."

Related Stories:

• For State of Union, Obama Faces GOP Congress for First Time
• Obama's Sneak Peek at Guests for State of the Union