Dana Milbank: Not hearing what they want to, GOP simply ignores
In the beginning, there were alternative facts. Now we are being governed in an alternate reality.
Heading toward approval of their tax bill last week, House Republicans had a teensy problem: Their vaunted tax cut actually was a tax hike for millions of Americans. It lowered taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars on the wealthiest, but it raised the lowest tax rate and, official congressional arbiters determined, raised taxes on a good chunk of the middle class as well.
Awkward! Particularly because a long-standing House rule, put in place by Republicans after Newt Gingrichs 1994 takeover, requires that any income tax rate increase may not be considered as passed
unless so determined by a vote of not less than three-fifths of the members voting.
So Republicans did the honorable thing: They snuck in a provision that allowed them, with a simple majority vote, to declare that the three-fifths requirement shall not apply. Problem solved.
This is but one example of an unnerving trend in the Trump era: Ignore the rules and disqualify the referees who were put in place to enforce standards of integrity.
Just two months ago, President Trump promised that the rich will not be gaining at all under the tax bill, and itll be the largest tax decrease in the history of our country for the middle class.
It is exactly the opposite. The bipartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) found that the rich would get a handsome tax break under the House bill, but those earning $20,000 to $40,000 and $200,000 to $500,0000 would get an increase. On Thursday, the JCT, the official congressional arbiter of tax legislation, determined that the Senate version of the bill would give large tax cuts to millionaires but raise taxes on families earning between $10,000 and $75,000.
http://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/milbank-not-hearing-what-they-want-to-gop-simply-ignores/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=e8e62ea446-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-e8e62ea446-228635337
tnlurker
(1,020 posts)And most of the fools in the Seventh District of TN will believe her.
It's Tax Relief Time!
Thursday afternoon, the House voted 227-205 to overhaul the tax codethe first significant step toward tax relief since 1986. This tax bill has a direct impact on YOU, the citizens of Tennessees 7th Congressional District. How? Here are the numbers:
54,699 district #7 tax filers will see their child tax credit increase from $1,000 to $1,600
For the 54,839 small businesses in the districts 19 counties, the first $75,000 of net income is going to be taxed at 9%
Small businesses will have a new lower rate of 25% on their business income
For Tennesseans across the state, theres more good news:
The after-tax income for middle-class families would go up by $2,259 on average
For the 80% of you who dont itemize your return, the average standard deduction would doubleindividuals from $6,350 to $12,000; married couples from $12,700 to $24,000
Instead of 7 tax brackets, youd have 4
You could benefit from the 19,999 jobs this tax cut would create in Tennessee
The tax overhaul bill now goes to the Senate to review as they work on their own measure. Once that passes, well reconcile the differences and hope to have it to President Trump to sign by Christmas. Thats the plan and were working hard to make it happen.
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)19,000 guarantied jobs????
tnlurker
(1,020 posts)But that is what the Republicans are selling and a lot of Tennesseans will be buying that load when they vote for her for Senator next year.