Obama Campaign Press Release - Sen. Obama Meets with Appleton Family to Discuss Real Tax Relief for Middle Class Families

Chicago, IL — Today, Senator Barack Obama will meet with Ryan and Jenny Micke of Appleton, WI, to discuss the economic challenges facing the middle class and how his tax plan will bring ease the strain that so many American families face.

Ryan and Jenny live in Appleton with their two children. Ryan is a unit director with the Boys and Girls Club at the local middle school and Jenny works as an educational assistant at a nearby preschool. With a combined income of less than $40,000, $120,000 left on their mortgage, gas prices as $4.00 a gallon, and food prices on the rice, they live paycheck-to-paycheck and work hard to make ends meet. Saving for their children's education and their own retirement has been nearly impossible. The Mickes would see meaningful relief under Barack Obama's tax and health care plans-but not under the plans proposed by John McCain.

A new report released yesterday from the non-partisan Tax Policy Center confirms that Obama's tax plan will provide middle class families with tax cuts that are three times as large as cuts they would receive under McCain's plan. The report also found that nearly one quarter of the benefits of the McCain tax plan would go to families earning over $2.8 million per year.

"The middle class has always been the engine of prosperity in this country-but for nearly eight years we've had an administration that tells working people 'you're on your own,'" Senator Obama said. "Not when I'm President. I'll reform our tax code to benefit the middle class instead of the big corporations. I'll make sure that quality health care is affordable and accessible for every American. And I'll provide real relief from the housing crisis by creating a foreclosure prevention fund, providing a tax break for homeowners, and cracking down on fraudulent lenders. Those are the kind of solutions that will make a difference for working Americans-and that's the kind of change we'll be discussing on this tour."

Here's how the Obama plan will provide $2,200 in real relief for the Mickes family — plus additional savings on their health insurance:

* $1,000 every year from Obama's Making Work Pay tax credit

* $700 every year (approximately) from Obama's universal mortgage interest credit

* $500 every year (approximately) from Obama's retirement savings match

* $2,500 every year (approximately) in health care savings

* Reducing the stress of filing out complicated tax reforms by creating a simplified tax filing system

In Wisconsin, the Obama plan will cut taxes for:

•117,000 seniors

•3.1 million workers

You can learn more about Barack Obama's economic policies HERE.