As President Trump continues his first 100 days in office, another priority item he campaigned on is on the table. The 2017 Trump tax cuts are back in the discussion in Washington, as they are set to expire at the end of the year. As you would expect, the media and Left are vehemently fighting against the renewal of these cuts. Even as they help save Americans money, they still want to inexplicably fight against it.
Their tired, deluded argument is based around the idea that these will be tax breaks for the rich, and that the President it 'helping his billionaire friends.' In actual reality, since the cuts were implemented, lower and middle-class Americans have benefitted the most. It is not just small amounts, either. Millions of Americans have saved thousands thanks to the cuts. The biggest cuts were for those who earned under $75,000 a year.
That is not helping the rich. That is helping Americans survive. Whether they like it or not, the tax cuts are set to go before the House and Senate in Washington soon, both chambers that Republicans control.
Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform says the bill to extend these cuts permanently will be presented via reconciliation, which will help avoid any liberal roadblocks.
"There is no filibuster with reconciliation...so as long as the Republicans can agree, then it passes without a single Democrat vote," he says.
It is amazing the Democrats would want to fight against the cuts as it is. They are a generally good thing for middle Americans. The average filer in the IRS' $40,000 to $50,000 bracket paid 18 percent less taxes in 2022 than in 2017. In the $50,000 to $70,000 bracket, it was 16.5 percent less. Compare that to those who made between $5 million and $10 million, they paid just 2.3 percent less over the same period.
In terms of actual cash saved, those people in the $0,000 to $50,000 bracket saved on average about $4,516 due to the cuts. So, the narrative that this is some billionaire tax break is absurd, and once again, based in delusion and hatred for President Trump. Plain and simple.
To quote failed candidate Kamala Harris, making these tax cuts permanent can unburden Americans forever from what has been.
"If you pay the income tax, you will have lower taxes as a result of this bill being made permanent...not just for a year, not a month, but forever," says Norquist.
Norquist adds that he expects these cuts to be made permanent in the next two months, as things have moved slowly in Washington. As they usually do.
But what happens if the GOP cannot reach consensus? It is no secret the party has not been exactly unified in recent years. What if there are rogue lawmakers who end up opposing it?
Well, we then revert back to pay exorbitant amount of taxes that we paid under President Barack Obama.
"If we do not make this permanent, a $5 trillion tax increase maps into place," Norquist says. "We go back to Obama levels of taxation on individuals, small businesses, and children."
No one, and I mean no one, wants that to happen. Whether the Republicans unify and pass the cuts is in the air. But they appear to all be on board.
The bill to extend them has yet to hit the floor, but it is expected to be brought up for debate when Congress returns from recess next week.
Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News / Getty Images