Author of study appearing to back Democratic tax policy is a Democratic donor
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The author of a purportedly nonpartisan government study that claimed tax cuts for top earners "do not appear correlated with economic growth" is a political contributor to both the Democratic Party and President Obama.
The Daily Caller reported that Thomas Hungerford, author of the recent Congressional Research Service study, donated $3,500 to Obama's campaign in 2008 and $500 in 2012. That's on top of $2,450 to top Democratic campaign groups since 2009.
The study he authored was called: "Taxes and the Economy: An Economic Analysis of the Top Tax Rates Since 1945."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Its conclusion that cuts to the top marginal rates appear "uncorrelated with saving, investment and productivity growth" was touted by Democrats and some media outlets as proof for the Democratic argument that tax cuts for the wealthy make the rich richer but don't help the economy.
CRS is known as a nonpartisan research unit that provides detailed reports on a range of subjects to members of Congress. The agency defended Hungerford and the organization's objectivity in a statement to The Daily Caller.
A spokeswoman said employees' "personal views" are not allowed to influence their work, and added that the tax report went through "multiple levels" of review before being published.