Notepad

CQ's Joe Schatz reports today that the House version of the president's health care expansion plan effectively would give the White House the power to decide whether to double a new surtax on the wealthy, adjust it or eliminate it in 2012.

A further twist: The call would be made in December of that year, meaning a lame-duck President Obama could choose to significantly boost taxes on the wealthy if he is booted from office.

Here's Joe on how the policy works:

A House health care bill (HR 3200) under consideration by three committees would impose a surtax on taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of more than $280,000 ($350,000 for married couples). At the end of 2012, the tax would either double in size for many of those taxpayers, stay the same or disappear -- depending on whether certain cost savings in the rest of the health bill materialize.

Under the proposal, the decision on whether those cost savings are achieved wouldn't fall to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congress' number-cruncher. Rather, the determination would be up to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

In effect, in 2012, the White House would get to decide -- without congressional input -- whether some of the wealthiest Americans would see a significant tax hike starting in 2013 or a tax reduction.