Yarmuth invokes Johnny Depp in argument that U.S. taxes are lower

Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) invoked the hit movie “Alice in Wonderland” on the House floor last week to argue that Congress has successfully lowered taxes for many Americans.

But his decision to invoke the film’s star, fellow Kentucky native Johnny Depp, in his defense of lower taxes might leave even the Cheshire Cat scratching his head.

{mosads}“Not even my fellow Kentuckian Johnny Depp could argue that down is up when we’re talking about federal taxes,” Yarmuth said, before arguing that taxes are considerably lower under President Barack Obama than they were under his predecessor, President George W. Bush.

Depp, however, lives mostly in France, where residents, including Depp and his partner, singer Vanessa Paradis, pay some of the highest individual and corporate tax rates in the world. Depp also owns a number of businesses in France (which are taxed at a corporate rate of 45 percent) so it’s unlikely that high tax rates are at the top of the millionaire’s list of priorities.

But that didn’t bother Yarmuth, who went on, “Only in a fantasy world like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ could you claim that this Congress has not done a great job in lowering taxes.”

Too bad Depp isn’t here to benefit from them.