Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) campaign began a week that will focus on the economy by attacking presidential rival Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) record on taxes.

        “Sen. Obama has a series of tax proposals and tax actions that would devastate the American economy,” said McCain senior economic adviser and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes in a conference call with reporters.

       “When it comes to actions, he has been a massive tax increaser,” Forbes added. “And this, I think, gets to the whole credibility problem with Sen. Obama saying one thing and then doing another.”Advisers to the Arizona Republican also said that the Democratic standard-bearer had voted to increase taxes more than 90 times.

       In a memo the campaign released earlier Monday, McCain senior economic adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin argued that Obama has voted to raise taxes on individuals earning as little as $32,000.“Based on his actions and votes, Barack Obama is going to raise taxes on nearly every American,” Holtz-Eakin said in the memo, adding, “There is no group, rich, poor or other, who will not be adversely impacted by his tax increases.”

       The Obama campaign responded to the claims by circulating the findings from a fact-checking group that said “the McCain campaign and the GOP falsely imply that Obama has pushed indiscriminately to raise taxes for nearly everybody.”

       According to factcheck.org, “a closer look reveals that he’s voted consistently to restore higher tax rates on upper-income taxpayers but not on middle- or low-income workers.” 

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