Tax Overhaul Lie #1: The "Doubled" Standard Deduction
Breaking Down the Tax Lies One at a Time
Republicans have been leaning hard on the "doubled standard deduction" in the new tax plan as a selling point. This brings us to:
Lie #1: The so-called doubled standard deduction
Here's how a deduction works: you don't pay tax on income below the deduction. Currently, that number is technically $6,350, and Republicans are touting a doubling of that, meaning that you would be tax exempt on about $12,000.
HOWEVER. That doubling is based on eliminating itemized deductions. The itemized deduction eliminated under the Trump tax plan include: medical expenses, property tax, and casualty loss. So if you have a house, high medical expenses, or suffered a loss after a natural disaster (or are planning on any of these, because of course one plans ahead for these things), you'll have higher taxes. And don't forget, the richest in the country will still be getting a tax break. Oh yeah, and Trump still hasn't released his taxes.
Call—the Senate vote is scheduled next.
What you can do1. CALL CALL CALL YOUR SENATORS NOW 202-224-3121 using this toolkit.
2. FORWARD THIS EMAIL as a way of spreading information to counter the misinformation so easily propagated on this confusing topic.
USE THIS SCRIPT (feel free to ad-lib, of course)
I want to tell the Senator I absolutely oppose the proposed tax code, because of the disproportionate break it provides to the wealthiest Americans. This vague proposal privileges the wealthy without making clear at all how the middle class will be affected.