It's a tax... no it's not... yes it is... Obama Admin can't make up it's mind

[Conservative]

OMB director undercuts legal case for Obamacare

Testifying before Congress this morning, President Obama's acting budget director Jeffrey Zients directly undercut one of the administration's key legal defenses of its national health care law as it nears a hearing before the Supreme Court.

In a hearing of the House Budget Committee Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., pressed Zients on whether the penalty that the health care law imposes on individuals who do not purchase health insurance constitutes a tax. Eventually, Zients said it did not.

Now the administration is making both arguments simultaneously. Before Congress, Zients is arguing that it is not a tax. But before the Supreme Court next month, the administration will argue that it is, in fact, a tax.

"The practical operation of the minimum coverage provision is as a tax law," reads the administration's Supreme Court brief filed last month. "It is fully integrated into the tax system, will raise substantial revenue, and triggers only tax consequences for non-compliance."

Sounds like they are trying to sink their own case.

 

[Two Thumbs]

It would be a GREAT political move to crush obamacare now b4 big 0 replacement takes his Oath.

It would force the reps to drop the blather about removing it and force them to make serious promises about UE and the economy.

It's brilliant.

or

he doesn't want jail time for perjury.

yeah, I'm going with that.

 

[zzzz]

Tax, user fee's, penalty fee's, does it really matter what its is called? If the government passes a law or regulation that takes money from private entities (business or people) then it should be called a tax, not a fee.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Tax, user fee's, penalty fee's, does it really matter what its is called? If the government passes a law or regulation that takes money from private entities (business or people) then it should be called a tax, not a fee.

that makes sense, if it had anything to do with obamacare.

The fine is for not getting insurance of signing up for obamacare.

It's Unconstitutional and nothing short of tyranny.

 

[Cuyo]

Technically speaking, it's a tax, but we all know it's really a fee/fine in practice, that manifests itself as an additional tax.

What it actually 'is' isn't really in question. But they will defend it in court any way that's logical to the specific claims made against it on a per-litigation basis. That really shouldn't be shocking, it should be expected.