President Barack Obama seized the opportunity on tax-filing day to assert that his administration is easing the tax burden of working people.
"We have delivered real and tangible progress for the American people. I am proud to announce that my administration has lessened the tax burden on working families while also restoring some balance to the tax code," Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery Wednesday at a White House event.
He also planned to use the occasion to again tout the benefits _ namely the tax cuts _ that are a part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package. Included in that sweeping legislation was his signature two-year "Making Work Pay" tax break that the administration says affects 95 percent of working families.
The White House said Obama's remarks also would focus on what it called unprecedented action taken to give tax cuts to people who most need them. Obama also was to meet with several working families to mark the day _ known notoriously to taxpayers as deadline day for filing tax returns _ and underscore his efforts to make the tax code more fair and less complex.