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The Boston Globe

Opinion

Tom Keane

The tax code fight

Obama should have proposed closing loopholes, not making more

“Asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.’’ So said President Obama in this week’s State of the Union speech. The billionaire in question was Warren Buffet, and his secretary, Debbie Bosanek, sat with Michelle Obama as the president delivered his remarks. More than common sense, the notion that Bosanek - presumably earning more modest secretarial wages - pays more than a man earning millions is outrageous. Outrageous if true, that is. But Buffet says in 2010 he paid $6.9 million in federal taxes. It’s a safe bet Bosanek paid far, far less.

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