July 2, 2012 by David K. Sutton

The Individual Mandate Isn’t A Tax, Wait, It Is A Tax, Wait, It Isn’t, I Mean…

Depending on who you listen to the health care individual mandate provision is the biggest middle class tax increase in American history or it’s not a tax at all.

Last week Chief Justice John Roberts surprised everyone when he voted to uphold the Affordable Care Act on the grounds that the individual mandate falls under congress’ taxing power. Since conservatives lost this fight they are instead launching a media blitz to “inform” every American that the health care law is a massive tax increase. Conservatives want it both ways. They don’t actually agree with the majority ruling of the Supreme Court, therefore these opposition conservatives don’t think the individual mandate is a tax, but that won’t stop them from calling it a tax if it means using that dirty “T” word in an attempt to win the White House in November.

An interesting development is that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is not part of this effort. He insists the individual mandate is not a tax, saying he agrees with the minority dissenting opinion of the Supreme Court, which would have struck down the entire health care law. This is from the man who passed an almost identical health care law when he was governor of Massachusetts. It also means Romney and President Obama are in agreement that the individual mandate is not a tax.

Well, they are both wrong. It’s a tax.

It was a tax before the Supreme Court ruling and it’s most certainly a tax after the Supreme Court ruling. But remember, “tax” is now a bad word in America, so it’s one of the few areas of political rhetoric where both Democrats and Republicans are in agreement, particularly when it comes to the middle class.

Or we could go with comedian Lewis Black’s assessment…

Its a penalty.No its a tax. No its a penalty. No its a tax.Enough is enough.You made your points. Now shut the fuck up.

— Lewis Black (@TheLewisBlack) July 2, 2012