Rep. Bill Owens has voted to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for all income brackets for another year.

But the spokesman for GOP challenger Matt Doheny says Owens’ stand on the tax issues is reason for mistrust.

A Democratic attempt to amend the Republican plan by allowing tax rates for those earning more than $1 million a year to rise back to earlier levels was supported by Owens, but it failed in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

Owens voted against a substitute Democratic plan in the House identical to a measure approved in the Democratic-controlled Senate that would have preserved the income tax cuts for those earning less than $250,000 a year, allowing higher-income rates to rise, but the measure lost Owens’ support for not addressing estate tax issues including a limit on the rate at 35 percent which will expire at the end of the year allowing the rate to rise to 55 percent. It would also have had the tax kick in on estates valued at $1 million, lower than the current threshold of $5 million, $10 million for couples.

“I believe we must keep taxes low for middle class families and small businesses in our community while not increasing the national debt by hundreds of billions of dollars with tax breaks for millionaires,” Owens said after the votes Wednesday.

“As I have discussed at length with constituents in communities across the region, we simply cannot afford big handouts to the very wealthy.

“We must also continue the estate tax exemption and rate at current levels and not let the rate skyrocket and the exemption level plummet at the end of this year. The current law responsibly allows exemptions upwards of $10 million in assets, which will protect virtually all of the North Country from this tax.

“It’s no secret that Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress do not see eye-to-eye on these two important tax issues. It is my hope that both sides can put partisan bickering aside and work together in the coming months for the good of our constituents,” Owens said.

“You can’t trust Bill Owens,” said Doheny For Congress spokesman Jude Seymour .

Watertown businessman Matt Doheny is running to unseat Owens in the November election for the 21st Congressional District.

“Ten days ago, he told voters of his intention to raise taxes,” Seymour said. “Three days ago, he told a reporter he’d vote against a bipartisan bill to keep tax rates stable. And today, he voted for the bill.

“Which Bill Owens can you believe? This spring, he voted for a House Democratic budget that included tax hikes on job creators. Today, he flipped and adopted the opposite position.”

“Savvy people see this vote for what it is: A nakedly political maneuver done in a desperate attempt to win re-election. Bill Owens can’t be trusted to say what he’ll do, and do what he says. And that’s why, this November, he’ll be replaced,” Seymour said.