Amid all the troubling calls by Democrats in Washington for higher taxes, there was a modest but refreshingly bipartisan vote in Congress recently to prevent one particular tax from even going into effect.
The tax would have allowed government agencies to withhold 3 percent of payments to some companies that do business with the government. It was labeled a tax-compliance measure, and it was set to go into effect in 2013.
But the House of Representatives voted correctly and overwhelmingly -- 405-16 -- to kill the tax before it could be imposed on American businesses. The Senate is expected to follow suit.
President Barack Obama had sought to have the tax delayed, rather than killed outright. But reportedly he will sign the repeal of the tax if it gets to his desk.
While it is good that this relatively small tax on contractors that do business with the government apparently will be blocked, Democrats in Congress are still pushing other, bigger tax increases that would do serious harm to an economy that is already in a crisis.
A "super committee" in Congress is considering various ways to reduce deficits. Democrats are calling for tax increases to be part of the mix. Republicans want to zero in on spending cuts.
It would be good news if that committee and a majority of the lawmakers in Washington -- as well as the president -- really injected some confidence into our economy by abandoning plans for any tax increases, large or small.
That unfortunately appears to be unlikely.