KEY VOTE: ATR Urges “Yes” Vote on Daines Amdt 289 to Senate Health Bill

Americans for Tax Reform WILL RATE a vote on Daines Amendment 289 to reimburse taxpayers who paid the Obamacare individual mandate penalty

ATR urges a YES vote

The U.S. Senate is currently considering numerous amendments to their healthcare reform legislation. One amendment, introduced by Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) refunds any American families that have been forced to pay Obamacare’s individual mandate tax penalty. Adopting this amendment will grant tax relief to millions of middle and low-income Americans.

ATR urges all Senators to support and vote yes on this important amendment.

-Under Obamacare, anyone not buying “qualifying” health insurance – as defined by the Obama-era Department of Health and Human Services — must pay an income surtax to the IRS.

-The Obama administration used the Orwellian phrase “shared responsibility payment” to describe this tax.  

-Roughly, eight million households pay this tax every year.

-In 2014, Almost 84 percent of families and individuals that paid the tax penalty made less than $50,000.

-46 percent of families and individuals that paid the tax penalty in 2014 made less than $25,000.

-Currently, the tax is a minimum of $695 for individuals, while families of four have to pay a minimum of $2,085.

A state-by-state breakdown is available below:

State

Number of Penalty
Payers (Returns*)

Percentage of
Penalty Payers with Incomes under $50,000

United States

7,973,490

83.7%

Alabama

102,080

88.9%

Alaska

23,390

68.2%

Arizona

183,690

85.9%

Arkansas

78,780

85.6%

California

1,000,600

82.4%

Colorado

145,120

80.5%

Connecticut

57,000

80.2%

Delaware

17,380

84.4%

District of
Colombia

7,590

81.1%

Florida

631,410

85.3%

Georgia

261,510

86.4%

Hawaii

13,870

82.9%

Idaho

51,570

81.1%

Illinois

273,640

84.9%

Indiana

176,850

85.7%

Iowa

60,170

86.1%

Kansas

65,780

84.5%

Kentucky

93,650

87.1%

Louisiana

135,510

83.5%

Maine

39,120

83.8%

Maryland

104,340

82.4%

Massachusetts

70,560

78.6%

Michigan

209,320

86.5%

Minnesota

94,440

83.2%

Mississippi

77,980

86.5%

Missouri

143,220

85.6%

Montana

34,250

80.3%

Nebraska

47,150

85.5%

Nevada

87,780

84.3%

New Hampshire

37,240

82.1%

New Jersey

221,150

82.5%

New Mexico

50,750

83.6%

New York

427,100

83.2%

North Carolina

251,530

85.8%

North Dakota

20,460

79.3%

Ohio

235,750

88.0%

Oklahoma

95,910

80.9%

Oregon

92,310

81.8%

Pennsylvania

244,290

85.9%

Rhode Island

23,540

87.5%

South Carolina

122,750

86.1%

South Dakota

18,970

84.8%

Tennessee

159,080

86.7%

Texas

1,066,360

80.5%

Utah

78,530

80.5%

Vermont

15,490

82.6%

Virginia

184,290

83.7%

Washington

154,460

78.1%

West Virginia

45,250

84.9%

Wisconsin

115,500

85.9%

Wyoming

19,600

73.5%