The Obama campaign is taking a swipe at Mitt Romney's tax plan in a new television ad, saying it will create a "heavy load" for the middle class.
"The middle class is carrying a heavy load in America. But Mitt Romney doesn't see it," says the 30-second spot, released Monday. "Under the Romney plan, a middle-class family will pay an average of up to $2,000 more a year in taxes. While at the same time giving multimillionaires like himself a $250,000 tax cut.
"So Romney hits the middle class harder and gives millionaires an even bigger break. Is that the way forward for America?" the narrator says.
The ad is scheduled to air in the battleground states of Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and Florida.
Democrats have made Romney's tax proposals and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.), budget plan a centerpiece of their attacks, claiming they add burdens to middle-class families while giving the wealthy an unneeded break.
On the campaign trail, Obama has blasted the GOP ticket for trying to sell a tax plan he dubbed "trickle-down snake oil" that had been tried before and failed.
“It didn’t work then; it won’t work now,” Obama had said to a crowd in Iowa.
Republicans, though, counter that Obama's plan to allow the George W. Bush-era tax rates to expire on the wealthiest Americans would raise taxes on small businesses and weaken job growth.
"There’s only one candidate for president who will raise taxes on middle-class families – and that’s President Obama," said Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg. "For four years, his policies have crushed the middle class with high unemployment and declining incomes. Now his tax increase plan will stifle growth and lead to fewer jobs. Mitt Romney’s plan will lower rates across the board, helping create jobs and higher take-home pay."
Obama is scheduled to hold a Labor Day Rally in Toledo, Ohio, on Monday as part of his "Road to Charlotte" tour, leading up to his arrival in Charlotte, N.C., for the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.
This story was posted at 11:25 a.m. and last updated at 1:51 p.m.
