The Republican-led Congress failed to pass any healthcare reform. That is because none of their proposals actually "reformed" anything. Each would have led to higher premiums, skimpier coverage, huge tax breaks for insurance companies and the loss of insurance for as many as 20,000,000 Americans.
The Republican-led Congress is now tackling federal tax reform. The House plan would limit property tax deductions to $10,000. The Senate plan would eliminate them entirely. Both plans would eliminate itemized deductions for state and local taxes. This would mean much higher taxes for residents of New York, New Jersey, Illinois, California and other high-cost states.
Both plans would lower the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20%. That would be the lowest corporate tax rate since 1939. Both plans would double the estate tax exemption, from $11,000,000 to $22,000,000. The House plan would also eliminate the estate tax, beginning in 2024. The Senate plan would lower the top individual tax rate from 39.6% to 38.5%.
To put it briefly, big corporations and the wealthiest Americans (including President Trump) will benefit from either plan -- and the middle class will not.
This is a thread in which we can discuss the tax plans and their impact. Discuss. That means others besides myself need to participate. Let's get Sirius Buzz buzzing.