Fox Vs. Fox On “Massive New Tax” That Only Affects A Small Number Of People

Lines in the sand have been drawn at Fox.

Discussing the Supreme Court's opinion upholding health care reform legislation, Fox White House correspondent Wendell Goler reported today that a fee for individuals who don't have health insurance would only affect one percent of the population. Goler's report is in marked contrast to his Fox News colleagues, who are claiming the fee is a massive tax on all Americans.

In contrast to Goler's report, Fox has been aggressively claiming that the fee would amount to a massive tax on all Americans.

For instance, Fox News contributor Monica Crowley said that the ruling will lead to “one of the biggest tax increases in American history and a highly regressive tax that is going to hit the poor and the middle class,” and Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy claimed it creates a tax that is “going to hit everybody.”

Likewise, Fox host Sean Hannity claimed that it is “a tax on every single American” and “the largest tax increase in American history,” and Fox News Radio's Todd Starnes said it “will force a massive new tax on the American people.”

In fact, Goler's reporting is backed up by the facts. In April 2010, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that only 4 million people will face a fine for not having insurance in 2016.

A March 2012 report by the nonpartisan Urban Institute found that 94 percent of Americans “would not face a requirement to newly purchase insurance or pay a fine.”