Fox News anchor Jarrett failed to note study he cited contradicted GOP strategist's false claim about Obama's tax proposal

Written by Andrew Walzer

Published

On America's Newsroom, Greg Jarrett cited a Tax Policy Center report on Sens. Barack Obama's and John McCain's tax plans but failed to note that the study contradicted Republican strategist Andrea Tantaros' claim that under Sen. Barack Obama's tax proposal, “an average family making $61,000 -- just alone letting the tax cuts expire -- would go up $2,100.”

On the June 16 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, co-anchor Gregg Jarrett quoted the Tax Policy Center's recently published “Preliminary Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans,” saying that Sen. John McCain's " 'tax cuts would primarily benefit those with very high incomes. In contrast, [Sen. Barack] Obama offers much larger tax breaks to low- and middle-income taxpayers.' I mean, so isn't Obama's plan more attractive to the vast majority of voters come November?" In response, Republican strategist Andrea Tantaros falsely asserted that under Obama's tax proposal, “an average family making $61,000 -- just alone letting the tax cuts expire -- would go up $2,100. That's a lot of money for an average family.” But Jarrett did not point out that contrary to Tantaros' claim, according to the Tax Policy Center report, a household reporting an income of $61,000 in 2009 would fall into the “middle fifth of the income distribution” and that under Obama's tax proposal, households in that quintile “would receive an average [tax] cut equal to 2.4 percent of income” and pay an average of $1,042 less in federal taxes.

After Tantaros made her false statement, Fox News contributor and Democratic strategist Bob Beckel challenged her to “give me one quote where Barack Obama said he was going to do away with the tax cuts that Bush had for lower-income and middle-income people” and added that her claim was “not true.”

From the June 16 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom:

JARRETT: Andrea, here's the question. Here's the analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center -- trying to be fair and balanced here -- “McCain's tax cuts would primarily benefit those with very high incomes. In contrast, Obama offers much larger tax breaks to low- and middle-income taxpayers.” I mean, so isn't Obama's plan more attractive to the vast majority of voters come November?

TANTAROS: You know, if you look at Obama's plan, which would be letting the Bush tax cuts sunset, an average family making $61,000 -- just alone letting the tax cuts expire -- would go up $2,100. That's a lot of money for an average family.

JARRETT: Yeah.

TANTAROS: And you know what? Here's the thing: Obama's pretending -- proposing an upwards of 1 trillion in new spending. You cannot simply tax the richest --

BECKEL: Andrea --

TANTAROS: -- 1 percent and cover that tab.

BECKEL: Andrea, you choose -- give me one quote where Barack Obama said he was going to do away with the tax cuts that Bush had for lower-income and middle-income people -- one. Just one to prove what you just said, 'cause it's not true.

JARRETT: Andrea, hold that thought, because we're going to have you guys back sometime in the very near future, 'cause you were terrific and it's an excellent debate.