ATR's Patrick Gleason Highlights Issues with Municipal Broadband (and more...)

Posted by Zoe Crain on Wednesday, October 1st, 2014, 2:01 PM PERMALINK

Americans for Tax Reform director of state affairs Patrick Gleason wrote an op-ed for Forbes detailing the issues with implementing municipal broadband.

The inherent problem with municipal broadband is that government entities are incapable of fairly competing in the free market, as they are taxpayer-backed and therefore able to charge less for a service than it actually costs. Private businesses cannot do this, as doing so would result in bankruptcy.

The costs of building out and maintaining broadband networks are considerable. It is not a fiscally sound use of scarce taxpayer dollars for governments to compete with billion dollar networks already in existence.

Townhall ran an article by Ky Sisson regarding a recently revealed scandal involving Democratic Kansas gubernatorial candidate, Paul Davis.

During Brownback’s first term, he supported substantial tax reform that reduced the top income tax rate by 25 percent, lowered the state sales tax, and did away with a tax on small business income. Though many liberal opponents disagreed with his approach, the advocacy group, Americans for Tax Reform praised Governor Brownback and said that the “tax cuts are working.”

More from Americans for Tax Reform

ATR Releases List of 2020 State Taxpayer Protection Pledge Signers

Michigan Takes Big Steps Toward Needed Criminal Justice Reforms

ATR Applauds Efforts to Repeal Gov. Jerry Brown’s Gas Tax Hike

Julian Castro: “We’re going to have to raise taxes.”

Posted by Adam Sabes on Thursday, July 25th, 2019, 5:04 PM PERMALINK Follow @asabes10

Yesterday, Democrat presidential candidate Julian Castro said“we’re going to have to raise taxes” and “repeal and replace” the GOP tax cuts.” Castro made the remarks at the NAACP annual convention in Detroit, joining a long list of Democratic presidential candidates threatening to impose tax increases if elected

Here's the key exchange:

Moderator: “How can the nation pay its bills without raising taxes?”

Julian Castro: “Well, I think that part of the answer is that we’re going to have to raise taxes. And we’re going to begin by repealing and replacing the Trump tax cuts.”

If Castro and the Democrats repealed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,the following would happen:

A family of four earning the median income of $73,000 would see a $2,000 tax increase.
A single parent (with one child) making $41,000 would see a $1,300 tax increase.
Millions of low and middle income households would be stuck paying the Obamacare individual mandate tax.
Utility bills would go up in all 50 states as a direct result of the corporate income tax increase.
Small employers will face a tax increase due to the repeal of the 20% deduction for small business income.
The USA would have the highest corporate income tax rate in the developed world.
Taxes would rise in every state and every congressional district.
The Death Tax would ensnare more families and businesses.
The AMT would snap back to hit millions of households.
Millions of households would see their child tax credit cut in half.
Millions of households would see their standard deduction cut in half, adding to their tax complexity as they are forced to itemize their deductions and deal with the shoebox full of receipts on top of the refrigerator.

According to an H&R Block report, Americans received significant tax relief from the GOP tax cuts: “overall tax liability is down 24.9 percent on average.” The report found that in Castro’s Texas, taxpayers received a 25.6% tax cut on average.

In Castro’s home state of Texas, households making the average income of $59,206 saw an average tax cut of around $1,324 according to a recent Tax Foundation report.

Even left-leaning and establishment media outlets confirm the good news arising from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:

The New York Times flatly stated: "Most people got a tax cut."
The Washington Post stated: “Most Americans received a tax cut.”
CNN's Jake Tapper did his own fact check and concluded: "The facts are, most Americans got a tax cut."
CNN's Jake Tapper also stated: "In fact, estimates from both sides of the political spectrum show that the majority of people in the United States of America did receive a tax cut."
FactCheck.org stated: "Most people got some kind of tax cut in 2018 as a result of the law."
FactCheck.org also stated: "The vast majority (82 percent) of middle-income earners — those with income between about $49,000 and $86,000 — received a tax cut that averaged about $1,050.

Castro now joins Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in threatening to undo the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act during their presidential campaign. If you want to stay up-to-date on their threats to raise taxes, follow atr.org/HighTaxDems.

See more:

Biden and Harris: Raise the Corporate Tax Rate

Biden tweet: Ignore the fact I’ve already called for middle class tax hikes

Kamala Harris: “I Will Reverse” Trump’s Tax Cuts

Kamala Harris Calls for Repeal of Tax Cuts Four Times in Three Minutes

Julian Castro Caught Lying about GOP Tax Cuts

NYT: Bidencare Will be Funded by “rolling back” GOP tax cuts

Kamala Harris: I Will Repeal “That Tax Bill”

Cory Booker: “I do support” Imposing Carbon Tax on Americans

Harris: “We are Going to Repeal That Tax Bill”

Biden: I Will Raise Corporate Tax Rate to 28%

Kamala Harris Continues to Lie about Tax Cuts

Jay Inslee: “Repeal the Trump Tax Cuts”

Biden Running Ads to “Repeal Trump’s Tax Cuts.”

VIDEO: Ten Times Biden Threatened to Repeal Tax Cuts

Here’s what happens if Dems repeal tax cuts

VIDEO: 10 Times 2020 Democrats Have Threatened to Repeal TCJA

Kamala Harris: When I Enter Office "I Will Repeal" the TCJA

Biden: “First thing I would do as President is Eliminate the President’s Tax Cut.”

Bernie Sanders claims people would be “delighted to pay more in taxes”

Biden: Tax Cuts Will be “Gone” If I’m Elected

Kamala Harris: I Will Repeal Tax Cuts “on day one”

Biden again says capital gains tax is “Much too Low”

Biden: Capital gains tax “much too low”

VIDEO: Five Times Biden has Threatened to Repeal Tax Cuts

Biden: “First thing I’d do is repeal those Trump tax cuts.”

Joe Biden broke his middle class tax pledge

“Mayor Pete” Calls for Steep Tax Hike on Homes and Businesses

Kamala Harris Vows Repeal of Tax Cuts “on Day One”

Biden: “When I’m President, if God willing I am, we’re going to reverse those Trump tax cuts.”

Posted by Ed Tarnowski on Thursday, July 25th, 2019, 4:00 PM PERMALINK Follow @edtarnowski

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) recently introduced legislation that would lift harmful price controls on sugar products.

The Saving Workers by Eliminating Economic Tampering (SWEET) Act would repeal the Sugar Program’s protectionist subsidies that artificially raise the cost of sugar in the United States and serve as hidden taxes on American consumers.

The current U.S. sugar program is packed with price supports, import quotas and tariffs that have solely benefited the sugar industry to the detriment of consumers and taxpayers. So much so that in the United States, the average wholesale price of domestically produced sugar is roughly 2.5 times higher than the world’s average price of sugar. As a result, not only are taxpayer dollars subsidizing the sugar industry, but American consumers are being forced to pay higher prices for sugar-based products.

The downstream effects of the sugar program are a damaging force on the U.S. economy. Roughly $3 billion in costs are shifted to manufacturers in the form of a hidden sugar tax annually, forcing consumers to pay more for food. Since the price of sugar has become artificially higher in the U.S., many manufactures have moved their operations outside of the country in order to pay the cheaper, market value for sugar. This has inevitably led to a loss of nearly 10,000 jobs per year.

The Sugar Program’s crony capitalist policies have been put in place to benefit the sugar industry and have greatly hurt American consumers, workers, businesses, and manufacturers.

The SWEET Act would spur competition, save American jobs, and lower the price of sugar-based food products for consumers.

ATR applauds Rep. Perry for introducing the SWEET Act and for his continued efforts to create a freer, stronger economy.

Photo Credit: U.S. Customs and Border

More from Americans for Tax Reform

CBO Projects U.S. Sugar Program will Costs Taxpayers $138 Million

Posted by Alex Hendrie on Thursday, July 25th, 2019, 3:56 PM PERMALINK

The Senate Finance Committee recently marked up the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act (PDPRA). During this markup, Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) introduced two amendments to oppose socialist price controls.

The first amendment removed the Medicare Part D inflationary rebate penalty in PDPRA. The second amendment prohibited the Department of Health and Human Services International Pricing Index from being enacted.

Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined Sen. Toomey in supporting both amendments. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) also supported the amendment to remove the Part D inflationary rebate penalty.

These Senators deserve praise for voting against these harmful policies and standing with taxpayers, seniors and free market policies.

Unfortunately, both amendments failed to receive majority support with the Senate Finance Committee.

Lawmakers Should Oppose the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act

Posted by Mike Palicz on Wednesday, July 24th, 2019, 3:52 PM PERMALINK Follow @Mike_Palicz

Americans for Tax Reform encourages lawmakers to oppose H.R. 397, the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act.

Congress should instead focus on enacting meaningful reform that addresses multiemployer pension plan funding, secures solvency of the PBGC and minimizes the burden placed upon taxpayers.

As ATR has previously noted, the multiemployer pension plan (MPP) crisis will require Congressional action to prevent somewhere between 1 million and 10 million plan beneficiaries from losing the majority of their pension benefits. With an unfunded liability over $600 billion, MPPs are set to begin failing at significant levels in the next 6 years and the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) is scheduled to reach insolvency by 2025. Congress has a narrow window to address this crisis and the longer lawmakers wait to reform MPPs, the larger the problem becomes.

Unfortunately, H.R. 397 fails to enact meaningful reform to the funding rules governing MPPs and enables a failing system to continue the same practices which brought us to the present crisis.

H.R. 397 would simply provide 30-year loans and new financial assistance in the form of grants to financially troubled multiemployer pension plans with few protections for taxpayers. H.R. 397 fails to secure workers’ benefits in the long-run and would only necessitate further government intervention in the future.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), H.R. 397 would cost taxpayers over $67 billion over the next decade. However, this number is likely to be significantly higher as the CBO score only accounts for a 10-year window rather than the 30-year repayment timeframe outlined in the legislation.

While promises were made to participants in multiemployer plans, they were made by private labor unions, not the government and certainly not taxpayers. Given the lack of guardrails surrounding these loans combined with the history of failed pension plans, there are few reasons to believe these loans would ever be paid back, making H.R. 397 an effective taxpayer bail out for MPPs.

ATR encourages lawmakers to vote “NO” on H.R. 397 and instead enact meaningful reform aimed at addressing the long-term stability of MPPs. A list of possible reforms can be found in ATR’s letter to the Joint Select Committee on Multiemployer Pension Solvency from last Congress.

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ATR Urges Support for Toomey Amendment to Senate Finance Drug Pricing Bill

Posted by Alex Hendrie on Wednesday, July 24th, 2019, 1:25 PM PERMALINK

Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa) is expected to offer an amendment to the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act (PDPRA) that will be marked up by the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday.

This amendment removes the Medicare Part D inflationary rebate penalty. ATR urges all Senators to support, co-sponsor and vote for this amendment.

Medicare Part D has existed as a market-based program that relies on competition between pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), pharmaceutical manufacturers, plans, and pharmacies. At the core of this program is the non-interference clause which prevents the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from interfering with the robust private-sector negotiations.

PDPRA undermines this system by instituting a price control mechanism into Part D in the form of an inflationary rebate penalty. Instead of being determined by market forces, prices will now in part be determined through government price setting.

This will disrupt the ability of all stakeholders to negotiate in a way that keeps prices low. In fact, this rebate does nothing to directly lower costs for seniors and may result in a windfall for plans as they are not forced to pass along any savings.

Part D already protects against price increases. Almost 100 percent of medicines are subject to “price protection rebates” negotiated by PBMs which effectively establishes a private sector ceiling or cap on the amount by which the price of a medication can increase.

Part D has also succeeded in keeping costs low and providing seniors with the medicines they need. Since it was first created, federal spending has come in 45 percent below projections - the CBO estimated in 2005 that Part D would cost $172 billion in 2015, but it has cost less than half that – just $75 billion. Monthly premiums are roughly $35 per month, just half the originally projected amount, while 9 in 10 seniors are satisfied with the Part D drug coverage.

As the Senate Finance Committee takes up their proposal, they should adopt Toomey’s amendment to strip the inflationary rebate penalty and safeguard free market competition in Medicare Part D.

Posted by Adam Sabes on Wednesday, July 24th, 2019, 1:05 PM PERMALINK Follow @asabes10

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted on Friday that his government healthcare proposal will not involve raising taxes on the middle class, but he’s planning on doing just that by his repeated threats to repeal the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

“Here's the deal, my plan to build on Obamacare will expand health care coverage and lower costs — without raising taxes on the middle class. Proponents of Medicare for All can't say the same,” Biden tweeted.

But Biden will raise taxes on the middle class by repealing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Biden has threatened on at least 10 occasions that he’d repeal the tax cuts if elected.

“First thing I’d do is repeal those Trump tax cuts,” said Biden during a campaign stop in Columbia, South Carolina on May 4.

Biden’s promise to repeal the tax cuts is a promise to raise taxes on Americans of all income levels. If the tax cuts were repealed:

A family of four earning the median income of $73,000 would see a $2,000 tax increase.
A single parent (with one child) making $41,000 would see a $1,300 tax increase.
Millions of low and middle-income households would be stuck paying the Obamacare individual mandate tax.
Utility bills would go up in all 50 states as a direct result of the corporate income tax increase.
Small employers will face a tax increase due to the repeal of the 20% deduction for small business income.
The USA would have the highest corporate income tax rate in the developed world.
Taxes would rise in every state and every congressional district.
The Death Tax would ensnare more families and businesses.
The AMT would snap back to hit millions of households.
Millions of households would see their child tax credit cut in half.
Millions of households would see their standard deduction cut in half, adding to their tax complexity as they are forced to itemize their deductions and deal with the shoebox full of receipts on top of the refrigerator.

As noted by the New York Times, thanks to the GOP tax cuts, “Most people got a tax cut.” The NYT also stated: “To a large degree, the gap between perception and reality on the tax cuts appears to flow from a sustained — and misleading — effort by liberal opponents of the law to brand it as a broad middle-class tax increase.”

The Washington Post also stated: “Most Americans received a tax cut.”

More examples of the benefits stemming from the tax cuts are shown in a recent H&R Block report, which states, “overall tax liability is down 24.9 percent on average.” In Biden’s home state of Delaware, the report found that residents received a 24.8% tax cut.

Biden also lied to the American people when he ran for Vice President in 2008 when he repeatedly said he would not support any form of any tax that imposed even “one single penny” of tax increase on anyone making less than $250,000. Biden shattered that promise upon taking office.

See more:

Kamala Harris: “I Will Reverse” Trump’s Tax Cuts

Kamala Harris Calls for Repeal of Tax Cuts Four Times in Three Minutes

Julian Castro Caught Lying about GOP Tax Cuts

NYT: Bidencare Will be Funded by “rolling back” GOP tax cuts

Kamala Harris: I Will Repeal “That Tax Bill”

Cory Booker: “I do support” Imposing Carbon Tax on Americans

Harris: “We are Going to Repeal That Tax Bill”

Biden: I Will Raise Corporate Tax Rate to 28%

Kamala Harris Continues to Lie about Tax Cuts

Jay Inslee: “Repeal the Trump Tax Cuts”

Biden Running Ads to “Repeal Trump’s Tax Cuts.”

VIDEO: Ten Times Biden Threatened to Repeal Tax Cuts

Here’s what happens if Dems repeal tax cuts

VIDEO: 10 Times 2020 Democrats Have Threatened to Repeal TCJA

Kamala Harris: When I Enter Office "I Will Repeal" the TCJA

Biden: “First thing I would do as President is Eliminate the President’s Tax Cut.”

Bernie Sanders claims people would be “delighted to pay more in taxes”

Biden: Tax Cuts Will be “Gone” If I’m Elected

Kamala Harris: I Will Repeal Tax Cuts “on day one”

Biden again says capital gains tax is “Much too Low”

Biden: Capital gains tax “much too low”

VIDEO: Five Times Biden has Threatened to Repeal Tax Cuts

Biden: “First thing I’d do is repeal those Trump tax cuts.”

Joe Biden broke his middle class tax pledge

“Mayor Pete” Calls for Steep Tax Hike on Homes and Businesses

Kamala Harris Vows Repeal of Tax Cuts “on Day One”

Biden: “When I’m President, if God willing I am, we’re going to reverse those Trump tax cuts.”

Photo Credit: Flickr/Kelly Kline

Posted by Bethany Patterson on Wednesday, July 24th, 2019, 12:50 PM PERMALINK Follow @https://twitter.com/bethanypatt

In March, President Trump nominated Michael Kratsios to be Chief Technology Officer of the United States.

Kratsios currently serves as deputy assistant to the President for technology policy and as Deputy Chief Technology Officer. Since 2017, he has served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he has helped guide the United States’ policies on emerging technologies.

In particular, Kratsios has had an essential role in developing the Administration’s approach to artificial intelligence, 5G and spectrum, broadband, quantum computing, autonomous vehicles, commercial drones and advanced manufacturing.

While at the White House, Kratsios has repeatedly reinforced the value of free-market principles when deploying new technologies—particularly in regards to 5G.

“Empowered by free-market capitalism and driven by bold ideas, Americans created an ecosystem of innovation that is the envy of the world, advancing science and technology and making the Nation prosperous and strong,” he wrote in a memo with Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget.

The Chief Technology Officer ensures the United States remains the global leader in technology and innovation. Because of Kratsios’ history with promoting free-market and pro-growth values, Americans for Tax Reform supports his nomination.

In light of today’s Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation nomination hearing, Americans for Tax Reform’s President Grover Norquist sent a letter to Chairman Roger Wicker and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell in support of Kratsios' nomination. Click here to view Norquist’s letter to President Trump regarding Kratsios’ nomination.

Photo Credit: NASA HQ PHOTO

Posted by Adam Sabes on Wednesday, July 24th, 2019, 12:48 PM PERMALINK Follow @asabes10

Kamala Harris tweeted on Saturday that if elected, she would “reverse” the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

“Working families have been left behind, while those at the top have reaped the benefits. When elected, I will reverse Trump’s trillion-dollar tax scam and put money back in the pockets of middle-class families,” Harris tweeted.

Since the start of her campaign, she’s called for repealing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act at least eleven times.

“On day one, it is my full intention to repeal that tax bill that passed, representing the top one percent and the biggest corporations in America,” Harris said during a campaign stop in Davenport, Iowa on July 16.

Harris’s promise to repeal the tax cuts is a promise to raise taxes. If Harris repealed the tax cuts, the following would happen:

A family of four earning the median income of $73,000 would see a$2,000 tax increase.
A single parent (with one child) making $41,000 would see a $1,300 tax increase.
Millions of low and middle income households would be stuck paying the Obamacare individual mandate tax.
Utility bills would go up in all 50 states as a direct result of the corporate income tax increase.
Small employers will face a tax increase due to the repeal of the 20% deduction for small business income.
The USA would have the highest corporate income tax rate in the developed world.
Taxes would rise in every state and every congressional district.
The Death Tax would ensnare more families and businesses.
The AMT would snap back to hit millions of households.
Millions of households would see their child tax credit cut in half.
Millions of households would see their standard deduction cut in half, adding to their tax complexity as they are forced to itemize their deductions and deal with the shoebox full of receipts on top of the refrigerator.

More evidence of the benefits flowing from the tax cuts can be found in a recent H&R Block report, which stated, “overall tax liability is down 24.9 percent on average.”

In Harris’s home state of California, the report found that residents received a 27.1% reduction in their taxes, on average.

Even left-leaning and establishment media outlets confirm the good news arising from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:

The New York Times also flatly stated: "Most people got a tax cut."
CNN's Jake Tapper did his own fact check and concluded: "The facts are, most Americans got a tax cut."
CNN's Jake Tapper also stated: "In fact, estimates from both sides of the political spectrum show that the majority of people in the United States of America did receive a tax cut."
FactCheck.org stated: "Most people got some kind of tax cut in 2018 as a result of the law."
FactCheck.org also stated: "The vast majority (82 percent) of middle-income earners — those with income between about $49,000 and $86,000 — received a tax cut that averaged about $1,050."
The NYT also stated: “To a large degree, the gap between perception and reality on the tax cuts appears to flow from a sustained — and misleading — effort by liberal opponents of the law to brand it as a broad middle-class tax increase.”
The Washington Post also stated: “Most Americans received a tax cut.”

See more:

Kamala Harris Calls for Repeal of Tax Cuts Four Times in Three Minutes

Julian Castro Caught Lying about GOP Tax Cuts

NYT: Bidencare Will be Funded by “rolling back” GOP tax cuts

Kamala Harris: I Will Repeal “That Tax Bill”

Cory Booker: “I do support” Imposing Carbon Tax on Americans

Harris: “We are Going to Repeal That Tax Bill”

Biden: I Will Raise Corporate Tax Rate to 28%

Kamala Harris Continues to Lie about Tax Cuts

Jay Inslee: “Repeal the Trump Tax Cuts”

Biden Running Ads to “Repeal Trump’s Tax Cuts.”

VIDEO: Ten Times Biden Threatened to Repeal Tax Cuts

Here’s what happens if Dems repeal tax cuts

VIDEO: 10 Times 2020 Democrats Have Threatened to Repeal TCJA

Kamala Harris: When I Enter Office "I Will Repeal" the TCJA

Biden: “First thing I would do as President is Eliminate the President’s Tax Cut.”

Bernie Sanders claims people would be “delighted to pay more in taxes”

Biden: Tax Cuts Will be “Gone” If I’m Elected

Kamala Harris: I Will Repeal Tax Cuts “on day one”

Biden again says capital gains tax is “Much too Low”

Biden: Capital gains tax “much too low”

VIDEO: Five Times Biden has Threatened to Repeal Tax Cuts

Biden: “First thing I’d do is repeal those Trump tax cuts.”

Joe Biden broke his middle class tax pledge

“Mayor Pete” Calls for Steep Tax Hike on Homes and Businesses

Kamala Harris Vows Repeal of Tax Cuts “on Day One”

Biden: “When I’m President, if God willing I am, we’re going to reverse those Trump tax cuts.”

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Posted by Spencer Peck, Alex Hendrie on Wednesday, July 24th, 2019, 12:25 PM PERMALINK

The Democrat led House Ways & Means Committee will hold a hearing this Thursday on the Social Security 2100 Act. The bill would raise taxes by a staggering $19 trillion, or $2.5 trillion per decade, over the Social Security window.

The proposal currently has 210 Democrat co-sponsors, or 89% of the Party’s membership in the House, signaling Democrats’ near universal shift towards higher taxes. It is also worth noting that the bill is just eight votes shy from majority support, and there are 25 remaining Democrats who could still sign onto the bill.

This bill fails to address the root issues underlying the Social Security crisis. It simply raises taxes on American workers and businesses, threatening economic growth for the entire country.

Tax Hikes in The Social Security 2100 Act
Democrats’ singular solution to fixing Social Security is to raise taxes. The enormous $18.9 trillion cost of this bill would be footed by just about every worker and business across the country. The list of proposed tax hikes in this bill is not a short one, and some of those provisions are listed here:

Lifting the payroll tax cap so that it applies to over $400,000 in income

Gradually increasing the payroll tax (both employer and employee side) from 6.2% to 7.4% by 2042.

Gradually increasing the self-employment tax from 12.4% to 14.8% by 2042, which hurts entrepreneurs and small businesses.

The Social Security 2100 Act Doesn’t Fix Social Security
This bill does nothing to address the structural problems behind Social Security. At its current rate, the Social Security trust fund is set to run out by 2035. At that point, the government could only pay out 80% of benefits, with that rate decreasing over time.

The Democrat proposal makes no attempt to deal with root issues of Social Security, like raising the retirement age or using a more accurate measure of inflation. Instead, the bill simply demands that hard working Americans pay more in taxes.

Despite the left’s proclivity to identify tax hikes as the sole, one size fits all solution to every policy challenge, Republicans have been working hard to provide real solutions to the challenges facing Social Security.

For example, back in 2016, Republican Congressman Sam Johnson of Texas sponsored the Social Security Reform Act of 2016. The bill made Social Security fully solvent, gradually increased benefits to lower-income retirees, and reduced taxes. The proposal utilized common sense reforms, like a slightly increased retirement age, and means testing for higher-income retirees.

This thoughtful approach to Social Security reform should remind Democrats of the program’s historical roots. When it was passed in 1935, Social Security set the retirement age at 65, even though the average life expectancy at that time was 61. This is because the program was intended to serve as a supplement to personal retirement savings, instead of the sole income for retirees. That’s why the payroll tax was originally set at just 2%, compared to this bill’s proposed 7.4%. Private savings still outpace social securitypayments for the vast majority of Americans, which is why lawmakers should seek to promote and make easier personal retirement savings by supporting measures like the retirement reform bill proposed by Senator Rob Portman earlier this year.

Democrats’ Across the Board Tax Hikes
The Social Security 2100 Act is one of many Democrat tax hike proposals. Despite the historical economic growth spurred by the Republican Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Democrats continue to propose hampering virtually every sector of the American economy with tax increases, with some recent examples included here:

Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) calling for a new 7% revenue tax on Corporations, raising taxes by $1 trillion on American businesses.

Days into the new Congress, the new House Democrat Majority changed the rulesto make it easier to raise taxes on the American people.

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) has proposed a top income tax rate of 70 percent. Many others have suggested applying this rate to capital gains income.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has called for repeal of the entire GOP tax cuts. This would see 90 percent of wage earners face higher taxes, and a family of four earning $73,000 in annual income seeing a tax increase of roughly $2,000 per year.

Bernie Sanders has proposed over $14 trillion in higher taxes as part of his proposal for a government takeover of the American healthcare system.

Warren has called for a wealth tax which would force some Americans to hand over 3 percent of their wealth to the government every year.

Democrats rejected a proposal by Ways and Means Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-Texas) to extend middle class tax relief. This amendment would have made the $2,000 child tax credit (up from $1,000) and the $24,000 standard deduction for families (up from $12,000) permanent for American families.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) has proposed legislation that would raise the corporate rate in order to restore non-profit deductibility of fringe transportation benefits. While the bill proposes a modest rate hike to 21.03 percent, it would undermine the success of the GOP tax cuts and open the door to additional corporate rate hikes to pay for leftist spending priorities.

Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) have proposedincreasing taxes on carried interest capital gains, which would dangerously harm economic growth and investment.

Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) have introduced legislation that would institute a financial transactions tax of 0.1 percent on the sale of any stocks, bonds, and derivatives.\

The Social Security 2100 Act is very clear in its intent: raise taxes on almost every American worker or business. The bill does nothing to address Social Security’s fundamental cost issues or insolvency.

Its tax hikes would hurt the very people Democrats are claiming to help. The enormous $19 trillion tax bill proposed here would cost the economy greatly, and rob Americans of the ever increasing fruits of their labor. Congress should reject the Social Security 2100 Act, along with all other Democrat tax hike proposals, and instead seek a smarter approach to retirement savings.

Photo Credit: 401(K) 2012