New Jersey Governor Chris Christie wants billionaire investor Warren Buffett to “shut up” about raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans.
The New Jersey Republican appeared on CNN Tuesday night in an interview with Piers Morgan, and the issue of President Barack Obama’s proposed “Buffett rule” came up.
In 2011, Mr. Buffett brought heightened awareness to the need for a reform to the tax code in the U.S., which allows wealthy investors like himself to pay lower tax rates than what most average American workers pay.
“He should just write a check and shut up,” said Mr. Christie Tuesday. “Really, and just contribute, OK? I mean, you know, the fact of the matter is that I’m tired of hearing about it. If he wants to give the government more money, he’s got the ability to write a check, go ahead and write it.”
The Berkshire Hathaway CEO called upon members of Congress to reform the tax code after revealing that he actually pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. He also challenged Republican members of Congress to write checks from their salaries offering to help pay down the national deficit, which he guaranteed to match with a three-to-one donation.
Mr. Christie is clearly tired of hearing about Mr. Buffett and the proposed “Buffett rule,” as he stated during his Piers Morgan interview Tuesday night.
“I’m so tired of talking about Warren Buffet,” said Mr. Christie.
President Obama originally introduced the Buffett rule as a measure to promote economic fairness for Americans who view Mr. Buffett paying a lower tax rate than his secretary as a failure of the U.S. tax code.
On Tuesday, the president gave a speech at the White House during which he again called upon Congress to consider implementing the Buffett rule into tax code reform legislation.
“Congress needs to make the Buffett rule a reality. This is common sense,” said Mr. Obama. “If you make more than a million dollars a year, if you make more than a million dollars a year, you should pay a tax rate of at least 30 percent. And if you do that, that means, if you make less than 250,000 dollars a year … then you shouldn’t see your taxes go up”
The New Jersey governor represents the popular Republican ideology that is typically against raising taxes on any individual tax payers.
Mr. Christie has been constantly mentioned as a possible vice presidential running mate for the 2012 Republican nominee, or possibly as someone who could win the nomination outright at the convention.
