-
To the Editor:
As deputy assistant secretary responsible for tax analysis at the Treasury Department from April 2001 to July 2003, I must respond to Paul Krugman's Aug. 5 column accusing it of political bias.
Mr. Krugman objects to an analysis of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for six representative families, including a married couple, both 65, with $40,000 in income, including $2,000 in dividend income. He says that such a family is not representative of elderly taxpayers.
Obviously, no single example can be representative of all elderly taxpayers, but this couple has income quite close to the median for filers their age, and dividends quite close to the average for elderly filers at that income level, about half of whom receive dividends. The couple in the example would see its income tax liability decline from $1,396 to $675 as a result of the tax cuts.
Mr. Krugman is certainly free to oppose the tax relief, but he should be more circumspect in asserting political bias in the underlying analyses.
ANDREW B. LYON
College Park, Md., Aug. 6, 2003
Note the subtle switch between the median and the average (emphasis mine).
Pathetic.
I wonder how many of the krugman-obsessed right wing bloggers will demonstrate their ignorance by trumpeting this.
UPDATE: Krugman himself responds. Note that the median elderly household receives *no* dividend income.
Right Wing Blogger Watch:
Donald Luskin, demonstrating once again that he is indeed quite stupid.