Washington, D.C. — U.S. Rep. John Barrow (D-Savannah) voted Wednesday for legislation that will prevent an automatic tax hike on middle class families.  

The AMT Relief Act of 2008 will protect more than 25 million Americans nationwide — almost 24,000 families in the 12th Congressional District alone — from paying the Alternative Minimum Tax. The bill passed by a vote of 233-189.

“The economic downturn is hurting our community, and middle class families are struggling to make ends meet,” said Barrow. “The last thing we need is an automatic tax increase. This legislation will stop that from happening.”  

The Alternative Minimum Tax was originally designed to make sure very wealthy individuals could not use loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. But because it wasn’t indexed for inflation, it now threatens to impact middle-class families who are struggling with the high cost of gas and groceries.

“The President’s budget plans to spend the added revenues that would result from an automatic tax increase, and I voted to stop it,” Barrow said.