GOP tax plan is bait and switch for all but billionaire class

When con-artists pull a scam, they manipulate truth to trick their victims into thinking they are getting a fantastic deal.

Take Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers who states the approximately 1,600 residents, 646 households, of Kettle Falls, will receive nearly $1,200 from the Republican tax bill, based on an average middle class income of $59,000. Fantastic deal, right?

In reality, 15 percent of Kettle Falls residents live below the poverty line of $24,000, and many are not required to file taxes, therefore they do not receive a refund. Those who file and are living below the poverty line suffer further as the Children’s Health Insurance Program was eliminated. And the bill cuts funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Meanwhile, the median income is approximately $38,750 for the city residents, who will net a refund of less than $800 (35 percent less). While the standard deduction is nearly doubled, personal and dependent and state and local sales tax exemptions are eliminated. So families with more than two dependent children will be hard hit.

Representative McMorris Rogers also failed to mention this is a temporary tax cut for her constituents, while corporate tax cuts are permanent.

McMorris Rodgers, the GOP and President Trump weave a story of tax cuts benefiting the middle class. Both The Economist and Fortune magazines report the tax cuts as a wealth grab for the rich — among other cuts the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) is eliminated as is the Inheritance Tax, which, as introduced applies only to estates valued above $11,000,000. Of course, the deductions for golf course owners is also left intact and many of the loopholes for corporations.

Here’s the real story: Senator Lindsay Graham says if the GOP doesn’t pass it, billionaires will not fund GOP candidates. Basically, this GOP tax plan is payback for the billionaire donor class, and a bait and switch scam for the rest of us.

Sandy Knauft

North Bend