America on the GOP Tax Scam: "I Don't Think It's Going To Help"
The American people can see right through Republican rhetoric on the GOP tax scam bill. An article in today’s Washington Post highlights this reality: Americans want tax reform that helps the middle class, but they don’t believe the GOP’s tax scam bill benefit them. And why would they? Over 60% of the benefits go to the top 1% while millions of middle-class Americans will see their taxes go up. Key excerpts:
“On a busy weeknight at the 5 Star Lanes bowling alley in this Detroit suburb that voted heavily for President Trump, there was little excitement about the Republican plan to cut taxes.”
“A 60-year-old retiree bowling with a group of girlfriends said she’s tired of the middle class having to pay more so the wealthy can become even wealthier. A few lanes away, a middle-aged woman with frizzy gray hair said that the more she hears about the plan, the more she hates it. And a group of young guys in matching shirts said they didn’t even know the proposal was in the works, although they seemed skeptical that their taxes would ever go down in a meaningful way.”
“Ron Stephens, a 49-year-old Republican who works in purchasing for the auto industry and wrote in Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) for president, said he doesn’t expect to benefit under the proposal. Any gains he might make thanks to a tax cut would probably be washed out by changes to other deductions that he usually takes, he said.”
“And don’t get him started on cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, as the Senate bill passed early Saturday does.”
“Here in the Detroit suburbs and across the country, many voters say they view the Republican tax plan as a giveaway for the rich that will benefit only a small number of people in the long run. Trump and prominent members of his party promise that the cuts will spur economic growth — leading to more jobs and better pay — but many voters say they are skeptical that will actually happen.”
“Polls consistently show that more Americans oppose the tax plan than support it — including, most recently, a Quinnipiac survey in November that showed that for every two people who disapproved of the plan, only one supported it. That poll found that fewer than 1 in 6 Americans expect their taxes to be reduced, while more than twice that many expect their taxes to go up. When it comes to just Republicans, a third expect to personally get a tax cut.”
“Sitting across the bar that night were two other businessmen who were in town for work — one from Indianapolis, the other from Tennessee. Both were longtime Republicans. Neither of them expects to benefit from the tax cuts, and they’re skeptical that cuts for corporations will really trickle down to them. Both scoffed when asked whether members of Congress or the president care about the middle class.”
“As Johnson has watched interviews with Republican lawmakers, he said, he has noticed that they can’t answer this simple question: ‘Is this going to help the middle class?’”
“Getting lunch in the mall food court that afternoon was Mike Papastamatis, a 33-year-old dentist who is a partner in a local practice and expects his tax rate to fall about 10 points if the ‘pass-through’ deduction is increased. While that will benefit him, he said the practice is fully staffed right now and there’s no need to expand.”
“And it bothers him that his employees and some of his relatives won’t benefit in the same way and could even be hurt. His parents were longtime employees at the local General Motors plant, and his mother recently asked him how the tax plan would help her.”
‘”I said, ‘I don’t think it’s going to help,’’ said Papastamatis, a father of two young daughters who is an independent. ‘For the middle class, who they’re always talking about helping, it doesn’t seem to help.’”
“A couple of miles away at Nicky D’s Coney Island restaurant, Patrick Colley finished up lunch. The 59-year-old Teamster, who hauls cars, said he’s excited to finally see lawmakers talking about tax cuts for the middle class and to have a president who he says understands guys like him. He expects to benefit, although he isn’t sure by how much, and he hopes younger workers making much less than him are able to benefit even more.”
“He’s frustrated that the wealthy get so many advantages, such as access to the best health insurance and tax breaks not available to everyone.”
“‘It’s depressing, you know? It’s depressing. I pay like 30 percent [in taxes], and I’m a regular guy. It’s not fair. And a millionaire pays like 12 percent,’ he said. ‘It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all.’”
“A 60-year-old retiree bowling with a group of girlfriends said she’s tired of the middle class having to pay more so the wealthy can become even wealthier. A few lanes away, a middle-aged woman with frizzy gray hair said that the more she hears about the plan, the more she hates it. And a group of young guys in matching shirts said they didn’t even know the proposal was in the works, although they seemed skeptical that their taxes would ever go down in a meaningful way.”
“Ron Stephens, a 49-year-old Republican who works in purchasing for the auto industry and wrote in Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) for president, said he doesn’t expect to benefit under the proposal. Any gains he might make thanks to a tax cut would probably be washed out by changes to other deductions that he usually takes, he said.”
“And don’t get him started on cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, as the Senate bill passed early Saturday does.”
“Here in the Detroit suburbs and across the country, many voters say they view the Republican tax plan as a giveaway for the rich that will benefit only a small number of people in the long run. Trump and prominent members of his party promise that the cuts will spur economic growth — leading to more jobs and better pay — but many voters say they are skeptical that will actually happen.”
“Polls consistently show that more Americans oppose the tax plan than support it — including, most recently, a Quinnipiac survey in November that showed that for every two people who disapproved of the plan, only one supported it. That poll found that fewer than 1 in 6 Americans expect their taxes to be reduced, while more than twice that many expect their taxes to go up. When it comes to just Republicans, a third expect to personally get a tax cut.”
“Sitting across the bar that night were two other businessmen who were in town for work — one from Indianapolis, the other from Tennessee. Both were longtime Republicans. Neither of them expects to benefit from the tax cuts, and they’re skeptical that cuts for corporations will really trickle down to them. Both scoffed when asked whether members of Congress or the president care about the middle class.”
“As Johnson has watched interviews with Republican lawmakers, he said, he has noticed that they can’t answer this simple question: ‘Is this going to help the middle class?’”
“Getting lunch in the mall food court that afternoon was Mike Papastamatis, a 33-year-old dentist who is a partner in a local practice and expects his tax rate to fall about 10 points if the ‘pass-through’ deduction is increased. While that will benefit him, he said the practice is fully staffed right now and there’s no need to expand.”
“And it bothers him that his employees and some of his relatives won’t benefit in the same way and could even be hurt. His parents were longtime employees at the local General Motors plant, and his mother recently asked him how the tax plan would help her.”
‘”I said, ‘I don’t think it’s going to help,’’ said Papastamatis, a father of two young daughters who is an independent. ‘For the middle class, who they’re always talking about helping, it doesn’t seem to help.’”
“A couple of miles away at Nicky D’s Coney Island restaurant, Patrick Colley finished up lunch. The 59-year-old Teamster, who hauls cars, said he’s excited to finally see lawmakers talking about tax cuts for the middle class and to have a president who he says understands guys like him. He expects to benefit, although he isn’t sure by how much, and he hopes younger workers making much less than him are able to benefit even more.”
“He’s frustrated that the wealthy get so many advantages, such as access to the best health insurance and tax breaks not available to everyone.”
“‘It’s depressing, you know? It’s depressing. I pay like 30 percent [in taxes], and I’m a regular guy. It’s not fair. And a millionaire pays like 12 percent,’ he said. ‘It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all.’”