GOP Vows to Use Surplus to Reduce Taxes

WASHINGTON — Republicans promised Saturday to use surpluses from the nation’s overflowing coffers to cut taxes and reform Social Security as they hammered President Clinton for pushing old-fashioned “tax and spend” policies.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas delivered the message during the weekly Republican radio address, amid a swirl of debate on Capitol Hill over what to do with money from the suddenly flush federal budget.

“We believe there are only two responsible ways to handle the budget surplus: Let hard-working American families keep more of the money they earn and reduce the $5-trillion debt the government built up over 30 years of runaway spending.”

Hutchinson decried the Clinton budget plan as a return “to the tax-and-spend Washington ways of the old days.

“President Clinton sent a budget to Congress earlier this year that included billions of dollars in new spending programs and billions in tax increases.”

Hutchinson said Republicans first want to eliminate a so-called marriage penalty defect in the tax code, which taxes 21 million wedded couples at a higher rate than single people.

“The average married couple pays $1,400 more in taxes each year than two single people with the same income,” she said.

“We don’t think you should have to choose between love and money . . . and that’s our highest tax-cutting priority.”

The second part of the Republican surplus plan would set aside money to shrink the national debt by fixing Social Security, before the system is threatened with insolvency when aging baby boomers retire.