Reuters Kills Budget Story on WH Complaints

Pulled story said Obama budget had backdoor tax hikes
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 3, 2010 4:28 AM CST
Reuters Kills Budget Story on WH Complaints
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs enters to conduct the daily briefing at the White House in Washington Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Reuters pulled an article suggesting President Obama's budget blueprint included backdoor tax increases last night after the news agency received complaints from the White House. The Reuters story was "falsely stating that the president's budget raises taxes for middle-class families, when in fact the opposite is true," a White House official told Talking Points Memo.

The article listed changes the author considered tax hikes, such as letting a $250 credit for teachers buying school supplies expire—a claim the White House proved wrong. In rebutting the story, the administration emphasized that the new budget makes the Bush tax cuts permanent for families earning less than $250,000 a year and ups the top rate on dividends for households earning more than $250,000.
(More budget bill stories.)

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