LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A conservative group's attack ad claiming Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) raised taxes on people making less than $75,000 per year is "mostly false," according to the fact-checking group PolitiFact.
According to the ad sponsored by One Nation — a group tied to Republican strategist Karl Rove — Rosen's vote for the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 resulted in tax increases.
"Housing. It's a basic need for everyone, but many Nevadans struggle to afford it," says the ad. "Senator Jacky Rosen voted to increase taxes on families making less than $75,000 a year, making it harder to afford rent or a mortgage."
But according to PolitiFact, that's "mostly false."
"Our definition of 'mostly false' is that the claim has an element of truth, but only that," says PolitiFact editor-in-chief Katie Sanders.
"It's distorting the facts to leave voters with a misleading impression, and that's exactly the case here."
Although the Inflation Reduction Act did increase taxes, those increases were targeted at wealthy corporations and money managers. And while some analysis shows that could result in higher taxes across all tax brackets, other provisions of the law provided relief — especially to people in lower income brackets, Sanders said.
"So, it's really distorting the facts to say that this bill raised taxes on people making less than $75,000. It did not directly do that," Sanders said.
As proof, PolitiFact cited research including its own previous fact checks, research conducted by the Tax Foundation and Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center and even an analysis conducted by the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.
Once research is complete, editors at PolitiFact review the material and assign a rating, from True to "Pants on Fire" false. "Mostly false" lies in between those two categories.
What goes into fact-checking political ads? PolitiFact editor-in-chief Katie Sanders explains the process:
Sanders said deep research and transparency are hallmarks of PolitiFact's efforts to parse the nuance involved in so many political ads.
"You may not like our rating or agree with it; we may have called your girl or guy wrong and that might upset you, but at least you can see how we got there," she said. "That's our whole mission is to be transparent and to research things as thoroughly as possible. Show our work."
With 54 days left until the general election, there's sure to be plenty of ads on TV screens and in mailboxes. Channel 13 has partnered with PolitiFact to examine these ads and let the public know which are true, which are false and — most often — which are somewhere in between.
If you have a question about politics, elections or government, or you have seen an ad you'd like us to check, you can Ask Steve at ktnv.com/asksteve. He will endeavor to answer your questions on air or online.