Little Marco is a Big Phony.
MARCO RUBIO Writes very well. His research is logical, clear and appears to be impeccable in its structure. Except for its omissions, which render his logic moot, if not cynical. Marco neglects to do the math across the entire range of proposed changes in the current tax reform proposal that is yet another GOP disgraceful exploitation that screws the middle class to the benefit of the 1%. It is reckless, disingenuous and downright deceitful to omit the facts that Elizabeth Warren and others explain is a $2 TRILLION giveaway to the 1% at the expense of the 99%. So Marco, by his omission, reduces his prettified proposal to a siren song to attract suckers to the sale of snake oil. The arithmetic doesn't add up! Middle class wages, benefits and job security have all been under attack by the GOP since the era of Ronnie Ray Gun, whose "initiatives" were to turn the US into Mexico, where the middle class lives not very far above the poverty line in many cases. Mexico, where the propina, or bribe, must be paid for any government service--say such as encouraging a postal worker to "find" a package in the mail. Without the bribe, the package will remain unlocated, ultimately looted by the postal workers. So, Marco, better reach across the aisle to your Democratic colleagues, to revise your plan so that it will actually benefit the middle class adequately.
Marco Rubio may or may to have small hands, but he has a small brain that thinks small. The fact that given the GOP tax proposals he has nothing more to contribute than "double the per-child-tax- credit" is shameful and disturbing.
The wealthy and corporations are stealing Fort Knox, gutting every benefit American's have and then some, and he thinks $2000 for a family is the big deal. What planet does he live in ?
"Tax reform is a key part of reinvigorating the American dream so that couples have the flexibility to choose how to best start and raise a family." Ummm. Nope. Somewhere in there is a version of the "teach a man to fish" parable.
Rubio doesn't care a hoot about families. He is a shill for corporate interests. He supports the overall tax plan that will hurt the middle class and enrich his benefactors.
4
The facts are Rubio has a voting record that consistently has favored special interest over families.
Rubio supports the blocking of Medicaid expansion in his home state of Florida. Rubio voted repeatedly to support TrumpCare which would have had a severe impacted on children and poor families.
6
It looks like Rubio is planning on a 2020 run for the White House.
He's going to make a lot of noise about what HE would do, but in the end he will vote in lockstep with his party.
If Rubio was really serious, he would tell us that he will not vote for a tax package that gives a trillion dollars in tax breaks to corporations.
He would tell us that the formula needs to be reversed; a trillion in tax relief for the 99%, more modest reductions (if any) for the 1% and corporations.
If Rubio wanted to make a bold statement he would declare trickle down economics to be a proven failure. Then follow that up with his new policy, trickle up economics. The idea that corporations and the wealthy will do better when the 99% spend more money is just plain common sense.
5
Nice crocodile tears for how expensive it is to have children, Senator.
Too bad about your vote to sabotage the Affordable Care Act.
It's expensive to have or raise children when you can't afford the medical care during pregnancy and until they become adults. A tiny little tax credit isn't going to make up for that.
And let's not get into what happens if the child is born with a "pre-existing condition" and the parents can't get insurance at all once you and the other R's finish gutting the ACA.
5
Who woke little Marco up?
1
Marco is correct, tax reform SHOULD help working families. The question is why, oh why, won't the GOP do that instead of "helping" themselves and their weathly donors to the detriment of these families?? Please little Marco, answer that one.
2
For once this is a good idea. However everything else in the GOP plan are awful ideas. I bet you could get Democrats to even agree to this proposal if GOP agreed not to: A) increase the deficit (hardly a Democrat idea), B) Decrease taxes on the top 1% / maintain the progressivity of the current tax code, C) Pass a budget leading to massive cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to pay for the tax cuts.
Instead of the Bait and Switch of the GOP Trump plan real reform is what Americans want.
2
If Sen. Rubio genuinely wanted to reform the tax system, he would oppose its use for making policy. Taxes should be used to raise revenue, and that is all. If Congress wants to support a particular policy, it should do so through legislation and appropriation. Of course if they did that, there would not be all the loopholes and credit favors to grant to potential campaign contributors. In addition, they would have to vote on policies and, thus, be put in a position to be held politically accountable.
Most Americans resent the tax system because they view it as unfair. Make it just about raising revenue, treat all income the same, and everyone can fill out a one-page 1040 in minutes rather than hours. If Congress wants to subsidize mortgage-holding homeowners, people with children, users of solar power, tobacco growers, churches, or any other group that is currently done through the tax code, let them go on record and pass legislation granting the money. They should not be able to hide behind a pork-laden tax code so long and complex that I would bet not a single Member of Congress has actually read the whole thing.
Much of the discontent voters made evident in the last election resulted from a justified feeling "the system" is both unfair and unaccountable. Returning taxes to their original function of only raising revenue, and forcing politicians to take a stand by having to vote on functional subsidies would be a good start to reawakening Americans' faith in "the system."
2
Is the right to abortion part of the plan to make sure kids are raised in the optimal financial circumstance? Have an unwanted kid due to abortion restrictions, drop out of college, but get a bigger tax deduction every year instead. Not buying this arguement.
3
I don't think the author of this op-ed piece has read the statute his party is trying to foist off on all of us.
3
It "should," but it certainly won't...with this Trumpean money grab.
2
Trump is giving himself a tax cut and his supporters are going to pay for it!
4
Mr. Rubio,
To help families you must think much BIGGER. One little tweak helps so little and so few. There are so many in need of consideration and you continue to think small as you did in your run for president.
2
Little Marco is funny indeed.
He now wants to blow up the deficit after so many years of voting against any measure to improve the American Family.
The Tump tax plan will not help the American Family - that is a fact.
Republicans have no decency.
Rubio, you are not a decent man and you have lied too many times.
3
Mr. Rubio. All these tax reforms you are talking about are putting lipstick on a pig.
A true tax reform would entirely undo the current structure - taxing labor (individual tax), production (business tax), and capital (capital gain and dividends).
The most insidious part of our tax system is the fact that it disincentives labor.
A gradual moves to a combination of value added tax and direct charges for government services where possible may be better aligned with today's economy,
I know it is tricky but the current structure is antiquated in its entirety.
3
Mr. Rubio: Like you care even a little bit. I live in Florida and have carefully watched you vote when you feel like showing up to a job you have publically stated you detest. You vote according to your highest contributor's conscience. At least have the courtesy to shut up and stop pretending that you care.
3
More Republican spin, trying to sound reasonable to the middle class so that they might support this bill, when in fact they are simply throwing them a few morsels (aka a "trickle") in the hopes they will not notice the trillions going to corporations and the 1%, their puppet-masters.
3
Very nice, Senator... except fertility rates are inversely related to income AND education level. I.E. - The more money a woman has and the greater success she sees in the workplace, the less likely she is to have children and the longer she is likely to wait to have children. (https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2011/disparities-unintended-preg... While macroeconomic trends can impact the overall birthrate (http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/10/12/in-a-down-economy-fewer-births/), these changes are born out equally across income groups.
This kind of "common sense" tax talk is utterly laughable, though sadly par for the course for Republicans still trying to peddle Supply-side economic policies. Primarily, the income variation completely undercuts the primary argument that income factors into family planning. Secondarily, it needs to be seen as partially a result of educated adults making family planning decisions because they have the means to do so, while conservatives have demonized such services and fought to de-fund the most effective family planning groups who serve those with the highest needs (i.e. - lower economic groups).
Just another day in failing GOP economic policy, I guess...
4
Because of the Justice John Roberts Supreme Court decision in Citizens United and McCutcheon our country is no longer a Democracy but slowly moving toward a military dictatorship. This tax reform law is a great example of the power shift in America. The law has very little to do with the middle class. Most of the wealth increase goes to the top 10%. The income tax is no longer appropriate with the tremendous concentration of wealth in America. Top 1% control wealth more that the bottom 90%. Our country needs a wealth based tax based on every family's net worth as a % of total USA net worth times the annual spending. No deficits!
7
Rubio would have more credibility if he did not vote lock step with his party for both of their disastrous health care plans and support this irresponsible tax cut/tax give away plan. He seems to be saying lets give families their share of this raid on the treasury. Our children's futures depends more on dealing responsibly with our national debt, affordability of higher education and income inequality, rather than more child tax credit give aways to encourage people who can't afford kids to have them.
3
I agree with your assessment of the cost of raising a child. Then how on earth can you strip affordable health care and reduction of student loan interest from them. Take away the estate tax, and you now put that tax burden on the middle class. Is that hard for you to see. Christie absolved the very rich from estate taxes and put a gas tax in place so everyone could pay the rich folks tax. Raise the payroll tax limit so that not only middle class and poor pay into SS. How on earth is that capped! Insane. Plenty more if you want to hear, but I'm sure you are busy lowering corporate taxes. Thanks!
Or we can provide healthcare to all children, subsidize childcare, mandate paid maternity leave, encourage business to embrace flexible work scheduling, provide universal high quality after school care.... you know, the things every other major country does. Or we can give people $1,000 and call it a day.
2
Financially responsible people are having fewer and fewer children because even families with a household income around 80 - 100kk can barely afford to properly provide for a single child, while millions of women on public assistance, almost invariably single mothers, are having kids without thinking twice about it. Someone please explain why federal and state governments (medicaid comes to states through block grants from the federal government) think it is okay for so may women on welfare rolls have 3, 4, or more children - which is very typical. I propose that most medicaid spending goes to women having children on welfare. So: honest, hard working and responsible people are having fewer children, and the least educated, poorest people are bringing millions of children into a live of ghetto poverty. It's all about increasing consumerism, which is why the wealthy encourage poor women to have children. Simply put; it bolsters their stock portfolios. With a leadership that adheres to this mentality, It's no wonder this country is looking more and more like a developing nation every day (there are more people living in poverty in America than in each of 9 of the top 10 poorest countries on Earth).
1
Sorry, Marco. The tax plan has nothing to do with kids. It's all about corporate greed. I guess you've also sold your soul to the devil.
2
A nation's people is its greatest natural resource. Without a healthy, educated, financially secure and informed population, we have nothing. Senator Rubio's proposal helps the middle class now, but even more, it helps secure our future with investment now, child by child.
1
Any tax credits should only cover two children. Any more is subsidizing excessive population growth.
And yet you support the Republican tax reform bill. Did you think that your op-ed piece would slip by without readers noticing that you talk about "the crisis of the working-class family" while you push for Republican policies that spit in the faces of the American working class and middle class?
You mention "the simple idea that families, not special interests, should be first in line for tax relief.". But you have advocated for the special interests that are the financial backbone of your political career.
I am not saying you are the only one guilty of being bought for and paid for by political donors--both parties are guilty. But please, Mr. Rubio, don't insult my intelligence by writing this op-ed piece.
2
In an economy where most families need full time employment by both the Mother and the Father, a small savings via a tax credit is not a solution.
In an economy where practically every GOP candidate touts “right to work” legislation and fight “prevailing wage” rates as here in Missouri, then we have a blue collar work force doomed to two income households, substandard living by the working poor and a stagnant growth in families with children and general population growth.
And population growth is the key to growth in productivity and GDP increases.
Full circle.
Then Marco Rubio, let's see you actually defend the Middle Class's interests instead of what you've been doing. I didn't see your name on the list of Nos for the Republicans' health care repeal and replace bill! Do you think we're all stupid?
2
Senator Rubio. after leaving law school with the $100,000 in debt you mentioned, when did your wife start earning $80,000/year working for the used car dealer who financed your election campaigns? What other details have you left out of this, your personal faux-sob story.
1
This is all true. It is also true that if we don't cut the inheritance tax which fails all of these arguments in this essay, are kids are muck more likely to have a better economy to live in.
Next week's special guest writer will be Ted Cruz who will discuss "How Prayers Will Stop the Next Gun Massacre."
4
"Tax reform should help American families." Yes, it should. But the Republican "plan" currently being put forth, propagandized, pulled back -- this mess won't help American families.
This isn't "reform." This is more wealth shifting, upward, for the 1% and those who cater to them.
2
This is a classic diversion. Talk about little things to help people while you vote in the dark of night to make their lives far worse. When you see the current tax plan, it should disgust all but the very rich. There are cuts everywhere for people in NEED, but generous tax giveaways to the uber rich. All unnecessary. That is what Marco does not want us to talk about.
4
Oh, now I see, it's really about the children. What is the tax burden they will face when the $1.5T debt comes due? I wonder who said, "Running our government on the fumes of borrowed spending is unacceptable, short-sighted and dangerous. " Oh, it was you.
1
Can we ever trust any Republican again?
They tried to sell us on their version of health care reform which meant taking health care away from millions of children.
They're trying to sell us a tax plan that would add an additional burden on our children's future as if they weren't taking enough from us already.
They cover up a rogue president's crimes in order to advance their agenda for Robert Mercer. This issue, in and of itself, is , in fact; obstruction of justice. the cover up makes them just as guilty as the A.H. that committed the crime in the first place.
And the he appeals to our "commonality" in order to advance Robert Mercer's agenda? They have been stabbing us in the back for a long long time and now they want to do it to our children with robert Mercer's Tax Reform bill.
Please, just go away your little.. . . . marco
1
As I read through the reader responses, Senator Rubio, I have not yet encountered a wealthy person who protests your party's tax plan. Gee, I wonder why.
1
Senator Rubio, you may be long on anecdotes, but are short on the truth. This tax bill will hurt the middle class, and I say that as one of the lucky ones who'll be moved to a lower tax bracket. You actively paint a rosy picture in order to convince your constituents to support a plan that will ultimately hurt them, just so you can deliver on promises made to wealthy donors.
You tell that story of your immigrant family sacrificing and saving to give you a shot at a better life, but then turn around and do this. You should be ashamed.
1
nomatterhow much you try to wrap it up with a Disney themed bow, Senator, this argument is still nothing more than Republican SOP: lipstick on a pig.
2
Let's dispel this notion that the tax reform should help American families, let's dispel this notion that the tax reform should help American families, let's dispel this notion that the tax reform should help American families, let's dispel this notion that the tax reform should help American families. Reminds me of the nonsense you keep repeating at the debates.
1
I keep looking at the word "Should". How about going for "Will"?
1
I wonder of Marco Rubio really believes the "family values" talking points he lays out in his op-ed article. Trying to convince Americans that they should embrace the GOP tax "reform" based on a single item is really insulting to our intelligence. And by the way, should our government policy include an incentive for us to have larger families?
1
I fail to see how fewer marriages or children equate to the working class family crisis, or how increasing the deduction for children will help such a crisis in any way. Whether or not to marry and/or have children are personal choices that have nothing to do with tax (dis)incentives. If you really want to help working class families, give them the money directly with no strings attached.
Furthermore, I take issue with your narrow definition of what a family is. I am a family of one with significant elder care obligations. Why should I subsidize your kids at the expense of my parents? It’s not as if my family obligations are any less worthy just because they don’t involve children.
1
Considering what's been revealed recently about the tax sheltering/money laundering schemes of the .001% I can see why taxes on the "middle classes" must be raised - somebody needs to lubricate the wheels of government.
So, $enator, let me see if I fully understand the Republican position on the federal deficit. According to your party, we may not increase the deficit in order to reauthorize SCHIP that insures health coverage for children (part of families!), or for the adoption tax credit (creating families!), but we can increase the deficit by $1.5 TRILLION in order to finance yuge tax cuts for billionaires like your patron Norman Braman?
And your party plans to cut $1 TRILLION from Medicaid, which insures poor families, and pays for the nursing home care of almost a million of America’s oldest family members, in nursing homes?
Given the leak of the Paradise Papers, why do the very rich need a tax break at all? Aren’t you concerned with putting banksters in the Caymans, the Isle of Man and other havens out of work?
3
So does that mean, Senator Rubio, that you will vote against this so-called tax reform bill because it does not do enough for families? That would be preferable to you holding your nose (allegedly) and voting for the most massive tax fraud bill in our history-it is called soak the lower and middle classes at the expense of the all-ready too wealthy 1percent.
2
ALL parents are "working" parents, even if not employed outside the home
1
I think this op-ed starts from the perspective that having kids is something we all have a right to do. If that is the case, I wholeheartedly disagree.
The people having the most kids today, in the US and elsewhere, are those who can least afford to do so. They are also the one's not worried about affording them, waiting until they are in a stable economic situation.
It costs a great deal to raise children, both financially as well as emotionally. Too many are ill prepared in one or both areas. It is high time we recognize, however, the inflation rate reported and used by DC is false. It's a down right lie. By not including food and energy, you omit the highest cost items for raising kids, and for living as a citizen in the US.
We have no right to have children, it is a choice. We have no right to own a home, it is a choice. And we have no right to subsidies that we either did not earn (Medicare/social security) or did not need (the truly needy - cannot work due to disability).
1
Please, Mr. Rubio. That simplistic pap may work with your base, but you’re not pulling the wool over the eyes of more than a handful of New York Times readers.
The Republican tax bill is an obvious giveaway to the top 1/10 of 1%. Those lost tax revenues will have to come from somewhere – no doubt, from many of the programs that actually help the families you claim to defend.
3
Come on Senator Rubio, you voted for repealing and destroying the ACA, cutting millions from Medicare and Medicaid, and you want us to believe you want to help American families. You are a sham like Trump. Go peddle your dribble somewhere else.
5
The "family values" canard is an old Republican standby, and this "young" Republican senator still peddles this cynical garbage. This tax package does next to nothing to help young families, unless of course they are inheriting millions. Offering to double the child tax credit as a short-term carrot with one hand while borrowing against our children' future with the other — the truly deficit-exploding stick that defines much of this legislation — is the height of hypocrisy. Spare us the feel-good bromides. It's a waste of our time and demeans your office (as if you hadn't already done so by bailing on the various more equitable bills you'd originally supported over the years). You'd be better served to actually stand up against this disastrous, feed-the-rich "reform" instead of cravenly using our kids to further enrich yourself and other high earners. But I'm not holding my breath.
2
Liddle Marco, want to take care of kids? How about tax reform that truly helps those in need, not the 1%. How about the GOP stop dismantling the ACA, which is all for kids so they can go to the doc when needed. Perhaps Pruitt at the EPA should stop dismantling our regulations for clean air and water, or stop destroying protections against corporate chemical pollution. That would be good for kids. Marco, I know you want to be Prez someday, but the place to start is with honest assessment of needs, based on facts, and drop the ideology that the soon to fail GOP has been peddling for years.
4
Mr. Rubio,
How can anyone believe a single thing that you and the rest of your party say? You are all about giving the rich tax cuts that they won't even notice. You have also allowed your party to be hijacked by racists and fascists and a foolish man who is betraying everything the Constitution stands for. I hope the GOP goes down with him. The reckoning will happen.
2
Absolutely nothing in this tax bill benefits the middle or lower class. It's all bait and switch. Your fancy prose and sentimentality do nothing to hide that. And, if we're so concerned about children, why is your Republican Party proposing tax changes that benefit the ultra-wealthy and corporations while stealing from Medicare and Medicaid AND raising the deficit which this country's children will have to pay?
1
People are counting on you to do it.
Is he saying that the GOP's ruse of "tax reform" is predicated on the expectation that it will make middle class Americans have more kids? This is the second time in two days that I've read a Republican use "women need to have more kids" as an reason for their cruel policies. Get this straight, Senator. Taking away health care, banning abortion, reducing the availability of birth control and otherwise manipulating women's reproductive health far outweighs any value of your piddling tax cuts. Just be honest, say you need more poor people to maintain the real beneficiaries of your tax cuts, the extremely wealthy. These mental gymnastics are hogwash.
1
Sorry Marco, nice try. The Trump Family Tax Avoidance Plan will not help middle class families. Matthew Yglesias points out that the first year would produce the $1,200 tax cut but those tax cuts decrease so that at the end of ten years the mystical family cited by Ryan will receive a total of $3550 for ten years. The national debt would increase by $18,500 for that family of four. Of course Rubio has previously railed against the debt and deficit as have so many other deficit hawks have.
We know that Trump and his family will save tens of millions of dollars over that same period. Trump famously said that " I'm smart" when he avoided paying $800 million in taxes. (He also said that this plan would not benefit him personally -- right.) Which means that the res of us are stupid. No thank you. I don't believe that we should finance the tax cuts for the TFTAP.
4
Senator Rubio,
Answer the following ...
If you are all about helping lower and middle income class families, how do you plan to resist much larger share of benefits going to the out-of-touch ruling class you mentioned in your op-ed?
What is you plan to prevent your party from going after 401K plans and state and city tax deductibles to limit additional deficit to $1.5 trillion?
When it comes to vote, will you stand for the people or stand in line with McConnell and company?
2
So if I understand correctly, you want to force people to have children they can't afford and don't want then you want the rest of us to pay for them.
Way to go.
This is even dumber than the usual argument from the Right.
3
It sounds like you think encouraging families to be larger is a good thing. I'm sorry, Mr. Rubio, but having 4 children - anything more than 2, in fact - in this age of rapidly growing global population is simply irresponsible. The elephant in the room, with regard to global climate change, is the ever-growing human population with our demands on the worlds's resources and our waste which pollutes earth, air and water.
3
Regarding the proposed tax reform plan, "House Speaker Paul Ryan says the average family of four would save nearly $1,200 a year." Rubio states here that most families will spend $230,000 raising a child - without taking college into account. The math just doesn't do it for me, and it won't do if for most middle class American families. What are these elitists trying to say with this plan? Take your $1200 additional annual savings and be thankful?
1
Dear Mr. Rubio, well done to defend the interests of families. Since you quote $230,000 to raise a child, please consider that a woman who becomes pregnant and can’t abort the fetus will have these expenses if she opts to raise the child. She must have a choice about giving birth.
Also, please consider those people who opted not to have insurance and get cancer. Tomorrow is my husband’s final dose of chemo for colon cancer. (It was not detected on the last colonoscopy.) We have just received the cost totals to date from Medicare. We may have to pay $9,047. We haven’t gotten bills from doctor and hospitals yet. The costs for someone without insurance would total $127,290. Do you agree with the Republican majority that these people should not be able to deduct these costs from their taxes? I hope you don’t.
Now, would you please consider the students who have had to take loans for college. They may not have the connections to get a well-paying job when they finish. Still, they have loans to pay back with high interest rates. The least the Congress can do is to allow them to deduct these costs from their paycheck, don’t you think?
Finally, we know that tax breaks to corporations will go straight to the stockholders. In general, these are not the middle class, they are the wealthy. Many people can’t dream of extra money for stocks. Do you defend this allocation of money?
3
Mr Rubio, there may not be a country if we continue to over populate our environs, thus destroying that which sustains us. The most important job we may ever have, is to assure a stable safe environment for which to raise the next generation. In a country that has doubled in population roughly every 50 years, this will not be possible; and the irreversible environmental damage has begun. 31 million in 1861, 75 million in 1900, 150 million in 1950, currently 326 million people inhabit the US. No, the most important issue today is ZPG, not tax reform. Don't waste your breath trying to sell the republican sell-out of the middle class and the poor for your rich cronies. You haven't changed a bit.
2
OK, parents with children should get tax breaks, rebates even. Children deserve the best, especially health care, Mr. Rubio. But why should married people without children get outrageous advantages over single people? There is no marriage tax. There is a huge tax on being single. Study it.
1
I agree tax reform will help families; the Koch family, the Trump family, the Mercer family, and others like them.
."As the economist Lyman Stone has shown, by 2012, the average number of children American women intended to have was 2.37, and the total fertility rate was 1.88 — a gap of about 0.5 children on average.”
The Lyman Stone article does not appear to be one typically found in a peer-reviewed journal. What have other economists said about its methodology and its reasoning?
There is a warning about being on the article's web site so I only looked at the first few paragraphs, but I wonder if Stone asked women why they had decided to have fewer children than they first wanted. One of the primary reasons may have been that they had not anticipated how much time and energy was required to raise a child as an individual.
We, Americans, prize individuality.
Little Marco
1
"The House tax bill released last week falls short in this regard." Notice he didn't say he'd vote against it. When push comes to shove, I'll bet the farm that he'll vote for this bill or whatever else the Republicans conjure up to provide tax relief for the rich (excuse me, "job creators").
If you want to help working families, support the right of workers to organize for wages, hours benefits and working conditions. Until I hear these words from your mouth I will not believe a word you say about your concern for working families.
1
No greater evidence is needed that Senator Rubio is a blatant opportunist than his attempt to cover up the true objective of the Reepublican tax bill. Playing up the small relief to families, he ignores the real goal of so-called tax reform: Cutting corporate taxes and unleashing a new wave of mergers and acquisitions that will further stuff the pockets of Wall Street lawyers and investment bankers.
Interestingly enough, I wrote an email not too long ago to Senator Rubio (as he is one of my senators in Florida), where I expressed my dismay at the tax bill being considered and why it did not address our massive deficit, which would only be made extraordinarily larger in the case of the bills passage.
He responded to my email a few weeks later with a bit about how we need growth in the economy and how tax cuts will drive that growth (which is obviously debatable). But he also included the bit about increasing the child tax credit up to $2,500 - reduced to $2,000 here.
As the father of four children, I would see my tax liability go down because of such an increased credit - even in spite of the loss of the personal exemption. So I would still be in a slightly better place personally if Sen. Rubio's version of the bill passes.
But I still don't think it is a good idea. We cannot continue to have our government borrow and borrow (mostly from China) so we can spend freely. It will eventually catch up with us. Right now our national debt (just the Fed. Gov't) is $20 Trillion Dollars - now officially higher than our GDP.
That is like a family that makes $100,000 per year that is $110,000 in credit card debt - and is just adding $10-20K to it every year. This is not sustainable.
Taxes are a price of living in the modern world. Individuals and businesses have to pay them. Keeping them as low as possible is always best, but they have to cover our expenses.
The current tax system has gone so far with its goal of social engineering that we have lost sight of its purpose. There is only one solution to the inherent imbalance that the Internal Revenue Code provides; a value added tax. It would eliminate the lobbyists and special interests, bring the tax cheaters, drug dealers and prostitutes back into the system, encourage savings and investing, put the IRS out of business and put accountants to work in real jobs, tax what an individual spends and create an economy based on reality, not the incentives that all of the above have to make themselves wealthy and evade supporting the needs of our citizens. Go buy your Rolls Royce, but only if you can really afford it and not an my expense.
Hope Rubio sticks to his principles for a change. He's great at making grand pronouncements, gaining headlines, but he then caves like an old card table at the end. We are all watching.
Some analyst said that the corporate tax cut Republicans have proposed could have been used to send every middle class American a check for 17,000 dollars. Or it could be used to invest in infrastructure so our economy can compete in the future. Or we could simply keep the national debt from growing by a few trillion and crippling the economy. Please don't insult us by describing this as a "middle class" tax cut needing only a better child tax credit to be perfect.
I have seen a number of comments expressing the sentiment that the commenter does not feel that they, the hardworking, tax-paying (and in some cases intentionally childless) citizen, should be "subsidizing" other people's child-rearing costs. This seems to me to be a false conflation. You, tax-payer, are not "subsidizing" anyone's expenses. That someone (that an ordinary family) pays *slightly* less in taxes does not mean you pay more. To view taxes and the federal budget in this way is to (and forgive the cliche) mistake the trees for the forest. Congress is proposing a plan that will result in trillions of dollars of lost revenue (that 1.5 trillion they are trying to cram that into is just nonsense), most of which will be recouped by massive corporations already enjoying historically high profits. No, you, tax-payer, are paying more because the richest want to - and will - pay less. A 15% corporate tax cut; an eventual repeal of the estate tax; further engorgement of an already unfathomably bloated defense budget: these are just a few areas at which you should direct your ire. An extra thousand dollars a year for working class families should not be in your crosshairs. And I won't even get into the insult that is Rubio's proposed expanded child tax credit. The US government owes the American people so much more.
Let's be clear, Mr. Rubio. Your party's tax plan is not about helping families. It is about helping the very rich while throwing a few crumbs to families.
Sorry Senator Rubio, but this tax plan is more likely to hurt more American families than help (unless you you consider the 0.2% families who will benefit from the phase out of the estate tax. To quote Gail Collins "Somewhere tonight there’s a child with a $30 million inheritance who needs our help.")
- Elimination of the dependent care flexible spending account - currently can contribute up to $5000 tax free for childcare for children 12 and under.
- Elimination of employer provided tax-free $5,250 of education assistance per year.
Some of the currently deductible expenses that will be eliminated or modified in this plan.
- medical expenses
- mortgage interest limited (eliminates home equity loan interest deduction)
- personal casualty losses. Only those losses arising from a specified natural disaster are permitted
- real estate taxes limited to $10,000
- state and local income taxes
- student loan interest
- unreimbursed employee expenses (like teachers buying school supplies)
- tax preparation fees
Lowering the corporate tax rates will not result in more jobs and increased wages; the corporate executives will increase the stock dividends, buy back shares, grant themselves large bonuses while telling the workers, "Gee, it's been a tough year, here's a 3% raise and by the way, we're increasing your contribution to your healthcare plan and we can no longer afford your pension plan. And next year, we're moving our company to Mexico because it's cheaper"
2
Who will the Republican tax plan help? Apparently one Donald J. Trump will see his tax bill cut by tens of millions annually. No conflict of interest. Nothing to see here. Keep moving.
Tax reform would be good. Financed tax cuts, not so good. Financed tax cuts with the vast majority of the benefit going to the top 5% -- terrible idea. Terrible, worst ever idea, bad, bad, so sad.
Another opinion piece from a Republican who has not only voted to facilitate the demise of the working and middle classes, but the government itself. Marco Rubio spends most days dialing for dollars from the oligarchs, the very group that benefits from the latest tax swindle that Rubio will be gladly voting for. Your crocodile tears for the working class and their families is about as phony as it gets.
1
Maybe Rubio would consider helping families by supporting access to affordable care by improving the ACA instead of voting to destroy it and remove the worry of family medical bankruptcy? Or perhaps he could help his own family by curtailing his appetite for expensive refrigerators instead of proposing a tax cut for the rich. "Does Rubio have a spending problem?
http://wapo.st/1EWGZiZ"
2
Senator Rubio happens to be my Congressman. I would like him to explain why his article has no mention of the lowering of the corporate tax rate, the plan to repeal the estate tax, the allowing of the corporate 'pass-through' loophole, and the general need built into this plan to ease the tax burden on the wealthiest members of our society and the corporations that contribute to his campaign.
This article is clearly a snow job that focuses on one small part of the overall bill while carefully neglecting the parts that place a heavier burden upon the middle class and poor by adding a possible 1.5 TRILLON dollars to the deficit over ten years. Can Senator Rubio explain to me how that will help American families? The failure of previous GOP attempts at 'trickle-down' tax cuts is well documented and shown to be a complete and utter failure, except for easing the taxes of the rich.
My senator shows himself to be the willing tool of his donors, and trying to pass this pablum of an article off as a way to "help" the average American is an insult to our intelligence. It's shockingly clear he has no respect whatsoever for his constituents. For shame, Senator, for shame.
3
Nice to see you mentioning how expensive student loans are. Too bad your party's House just passed a tax bill that eliminates the deduction for student loan interest, a deduction that YOU and the majority of your colleagues were able to enjoy. What a way to help the middle class. Don't you guys get too comfy; 2018 is coming.
Not stated in the Senator's opinion piece is the importance of being able to proactively control one's fertility, yet at every step of the way the GOP makes it harder for women to access and pay for birth control. Such hypocrisy is galling. Tax reform is not helpful to the millions of women who wanted to delay or prevent pregnancy in the first place.
1
After school supplies, Senator (Honorable?) Rubio (translated into English as White or Blond) listes summer camp expense as a financial worry. Bizarre.
tax "reform for the middle class"????
Elimination of estate tax within the life expectancy of don jon???
Only thing "middle" about don jon is his IQ.
Mr. Rubio's concern about our children is welcome but his party's proposal once again shows its hypocrisy towards our children and families. One of the biggest concerns any family has is providing our children a financially sound future. The Republican's solution to this has been "education, education, education". However, the party's policies have for a long time been directed towards making getting an education more difficult and this tax bill only makes it even more difficult. Taxing tuition reimbursements is the obvious example but removing the deduction of local taxes for the residents of those communities who are willing to spend more on elementary and secondary education is yet another assault on educating our children.
Mr. Rubio's solution is for the GOP to throw a few more peanuts at families. A few more peanuts is not enough while corporations and the wealthy get huge tax breaks. If Mr. Rubio truly understands the situation of families, he should vote against the GOP plan until real relief is given to families.
Yes, Mr. Rubio, please expand the child tax credit and listen to these other taxpaying citizens on keeping the student loan interest deduction.
Thank you.
1
Mr. Rubio, If you are all about helping the middle class, then this all makes sense. But why the other provisions that hurt the working class, like taking away student loan credit? And why the estate tax elimination, which only helps the estates above 5 million? And don’t give me the argument about it helps large farms - this is an extremely small
percentage of multimillion dollar estates. I would be a lot more inclined to believe you are for the working man if the tax bill comprehensively helped them, and not overwhelmingly the top 1%.
Last question - how are you going to pay for all of these tax cuts? There is no study that suggests economy boost from tax cuts will offset the cost.
If you TRULY were for the working class, you would cut taxes for the working middle class, and pay for it by increasing taxes on the uber rich, who can afford it without any affect on their lives. Are you willing to do that, and cut off the main financial support of the Republican Party??? Do you have the guts to actually support who you claim to support?
I agree... with Marco Rubio?? How did that happen?!
Children? Tax "credit" "making it refundable against payroll tax liability"? That doesn't sound like the existing dependent deduction on the 1040. It sounds like it is deducted from your paycheck, and then credited back at tax time? That's like the government borrowing your money, and paying it back to you without interest.
Aside from dependent children, what about the mortgage interest deduction? The standard deduction? I've read the some of those are being eliminated.
There are many things that make a tax overhaul equitable overall.
Marco, if you can't afford 4 children, don't have them. That's the height of irresponsibility. And if child rearing costs are too high, don't force parenthood on people by trying to ban abortion and contraception. The population of this country is already so large that we're destroying the environment and suffering from a shortage of jobs for the people we have. There is no reason for the federal government to subsidize more babies as opposed to investing in the young people we already have.
2
Of course, there is the very real world problem of overpopulation. If we want to achieve zero population growth, a total fertility rate of 1.88 probably isn't bad. Furthermore, why should people who remain single or couples who have no children — either because they can't have them or decide not to — be penalized?
The emphasis of government — federal, state and local — should be on taking care of the children we already have. Equal access to high quality education. Equal access to good health care and nutrition.
1
Why Senator Rubio would you think your op-ed has any merit??!! You are supporting a "tax reform" that will ultimately cost hard working middle income earners (and those less fortunate) more of their hard earned dollars in an era where their wages have stagnated. You support this knowing that those controlling the wealth in our nation will also get most if not all of the benefit ($$$) of this so-called reform. You really should be ashamed of yourself.
Then explain, Mr. Rubio, why your party has proposed 'tax reform' that would eliminate tax benefits for the most vulnerable Americans, like people living on disability benefits, the elderly, young graduates struggling to pay off their college loans... while eliminating the federal estate tax, which would cost the U.S. Treasury an estimated $270 billion in a decade.
That's $270 billion in resources that should be available to further the common good. Instead, a few thousand of the nation's wealthiest estates will be passed to another generation tax free, perpetuating the chasm between the superrich and the rest of us that is tearing this country apart. If you believe Mr. Trump's trumped up tale of his own net worth, Trump's spawn alone stand to reap billions if this bill is passed as written, just for being inductees in the Lucky Sperm Club.
And then let's look at the 'reforms' that will yield over a trillion in tax savings to the nation's wealthiest individuals - while they're alive - and our largest corporations. And leave the carried interest scam unscathed.
What kind of fools do you think we are anyway, Mr. Rubio? The title of your op-ed piece certainly says what voters want to hear, but your 'tax reform' bill certainly doesn't.
You're no better than a guy selling fake Rolexes and doing cheap card tricks on Canal Street. Why next thing, you and your Gruesome Old Party will propose an American version of the Nuremberg Laws and call it the 'Religious Freedom Act.'
All talk Senator, all talk. Show us that you believe this by voting against this tax reform for the wealthy bill. come on, show us.
Dear Mr. Rubio.
We are not stupid. Your arguments are ridiculous! As American women, most of us are no clamoring to have MORE children! I think that there are more than enough bodies populating this overburdened planet. This is not the 50's anymore Sir! Most of us women aspire to much more than endless pregnancies and raising more children than is fair or comfortable. What we need is for you to include contraception coverage in the ACA. In fact, WE NEED HEALTH INSURANCE FOR ALL! And what about maternity coverage for the limitless amount of pregnancies that your "tax cuts" will "make possible". And while you're at it, how about letting us continue to write off our student loan interest and keeping our mortgage interest deductions so we can provide a roof for the limitless children we can now afford! You opinion piece is pure nonsense. As I stated earlier, 60% of America is NOT stupid. Sell this snake oil to the 33% who love your so-called President! You are cutting taxes for your super rich handlers, pure and simple! The rest of us, the economy and the trillions in deficit be damned!
1
Tax credits only help those that already make enough to have to pay taxes. They are useless to lower-income people, the ones that really need help, because those people don't make enough to pay taxes against which those credits would help.
Errrrr... he talks about people limiting the number of kids they have like it's a bad thing.... Why shouldn't you wait until you can afford it to have kids - why shouldn't you reproduce responsibly? The world simply does not need high rates of population growth, especially in the developed world that uses the bulk of the resources and creates the bulk of the wastes and emissions. As thinking, rational animals, we should be able to see beyond the instinctual drive to reproduce without controls. It should not be our goal to populate every small space of the earth. We will be our own destruction.
1
In past centuries, farm families tried to have many children to help work the fields, religions encouraged their adherents to have many children to grow their flocks, and governments wanted numbers to join the army. Plus, before modern hygiene and medical care such as anti-biotics, there was the very real chance that children would die young. The result was that before birth control, many women willingly gave birth to many children.
The problem with this was that each child requires an inordinate amount of time and energy to raise as an individual. In the past, less attention was placed on individuality. This is still true today in many developing countries. The number of children matters more than the formal education and general development of each child’s abilities. In these less-developed countries, rural children tend to leave school and their childhoods by puberty. They go to work, marry young, and start their own families.
Here in America, we can have just a couple of children and raise them to be well-educated, creative individuals. Education and creativity drive the modern economy.
Rather than giving women money to have more children, we should be encouraging them to have only the number of children whom they have the time and energy to raise as individuals.
1
A flat tax, across the board and on all means of income, will help those people trying to make ends meet. People earning under a certain level should not be taxed. Why does it need to be so complicated...to allow the rich to get richer?
Funny that you should mention student loans, Marco. The current GOP tax plan will be eliminating the deduction for student loan interest. Way to help the middle class, Einstein. We'll be seeing you in 2018.
How about just investing in the working class instead of the wealthy?
Nice try Scooby-dubio - Yes taxes need to be reformed, but why even give tax cuts to the very wealthy? Why not just provide a stimulus to those very working families cited here?
Almost $2Trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy and you think a tax credit for those who don't earn enough to pay taxes is a solution?
Sure, lets make it easier to have more children who will grow up to be adults and destroy, by their sheer numbers, the paradise we were given. I think what the puppet masters pulling on Marcos strings really want is more worker bees and tax payers and ever ending growth that our "prosperity" is now based upon.
3
I was very moved by this article you wrote. What I think is happening that if you bucked your party and say what you really think you will be in political trouble. Our US healthcare roughly averages about 10k per person. Our other western country friends 3k per person. Our education is so out of cost control that we will have even poorer generations in the future.
Affordable housing barely exists. People in congress blame the problems on entitlements! Paul Ryan and some congressionals believe Ayn Rand in self survival and the heck with the rest let them starve. By the way Ayn Rand had no children. If we continue to let big money and corporate lobbyists control our economy we are doomed. We now have a cabinet of Billionaires
Who will never come down on big pharmaceuticals and the inequality of pay for the middle class and rebuilding our infrastructure creating new jobs and training.
I remember an article that claimed your mother told you to leave the immigrants alone. A very caring and wise lady.
Marco rise from the issues and create an independent candidate to
make America wonderful for its people and children.
What I don't understand is why we need to cut taxes right now. The last time we had major tax code changes was in the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. The President's Office of Management and Budget website shows that we had four years of surpluses prior to the enactment of EGTRRA and the national debt was $5 trillion. Now, we've had 15 years of deficits (2016's was $585 billion) and the national debt is $19 trillion.
...and why these. Why cut the corporate tax rate? A quick internet search of "corporate profits 2017" yielded these two headlines: "Corporate Profits Just Posted Their Biggest Jump in Five Years" and "Corporate America Is Having Its Best Earning Season in 13 Years". So, under the current tax structure, U.S. corporations are posting their best profits in years, the stock market is at all-time highs, and interest rates are at all-time lows. So why cut the corporate tax rates?
This so-called "tax reform" is just a massive tax cut for corporations and the rich, with no concrete plan on how to pay for it. Either the deficit will sky-rocket, or massive cuts to benefits and government programs. American families will get crumbs. And it is NOT tax reform, if not done with a bipartisan effort.
Don't fall for the crocodile tears being shed by Senator Rubio. His presidential campaign was financed in large part by a hedge fund billionaire, Paul Singer, whose major political priority is lower taxes. My guess is that Mr. Singer is a lot happier with the Republican tax plan than millions of Americans are. As long as tens of millions of Republican voters are willing to place their religious beliefs above their economic self interests, they will have to be satisfied with religiously conservative Supreme Court and other presidential appointments.
"Think about it: For high-cost, major life decisions, we have financial products that help families pursue the American dream. For buying a home, we have the 30-year mortgage. For going to college, we have student loans."
Interesting choice of examples. In a world of good faith and fair dealing, Rubio might have a point, but that's hardly the world we live in or the one his party promotes. For the institutions Rubio references to have the desired effect, they must be coupled with a strong dose of a conservative four-letter-word: "R-E-G-U-L-A-T-I-O-N." Is lending a good and necessary thing in a modern economy? Of course! That's like asking if food Flint, MI needs water to drink. But responsible governance requires that the good be sorted from the bad, not that the financial institutions be let off their regulatory chains like the GOP is forever urging.
On another note, raising children is probably easier with a livable wage, well-funded public schools, healthcare and all the other things government might do to "promote the general welfare"... one of the specific reasons Congress has the power to "lay and collect taxes." Sometimes conservatives seem to fixate on the "common Defence" part of that constitutional clause to the exclusion of all else sometimes.
The best way to help working families everywhere is to raise wages. That could be done by supporting a $15 an hour minimum wage. It could be done by supporting unions and making it easy for people to join them. It could be done by government infrastructure spending. It could be done by single payer health care, so that working people spend less of their income on medical care. Best of all, we could do all of these things at once. Higher wages would also mean more tax dollars flooding into the government to pay for health care and infrastructure. Sounds like a win to me. A child care tax credit sounds like not much of anything. Also, let's not forget a progressive tax code where taxes on the wealthy are steep. Yes, they will hide money--but they do now anyway. They can't hide all of it.
1
Because of the interdependencies of the tax code it is almost impossible for a particular individual to determine how their taxes change under the new plan. For example:
If you are married and take the standard deduction, the standard deduction doubles (up from roughly 12K to 24K). But you will lose the deduction for exemptions, which for a family with only one child, is roughly 12K (down by roughly $4k each). But, if you have a child under the age of 18 the child tax credit is increased from 1K to 2K, unless your income is over roughly 110K in which case it is zero.
The result of eliminating estate tax paid at death by the rich, can substantially increase taxes paid by the middle class at death, again because of the complexity of tax law.
There are many more examples of giving with one hand and taking with the other.
It sounds like a good idea to distinguish the truly needy from those just looking for handouts. But to do this, we need a large bureaucracy with complex rules and the power to pry into people's lives and judge their circumstances. The simpler the rules, the more people there will be who are rewarded or penalized by the rules without any rational justification. The more complex the rules, the more opportunity there will be to game the system.
The result is not only a prying bureaucracy but also rewarding an attitude of looking for ways to game the system. We see this attitude in Rubio's suggestion and most of the responses to it. We wind up with Mitt Romney complacently saying that he pays all the taxes he owes and not mentioning that he and his friends have worked long and hard to make the tax system such that it can be gamed for great profit by people like him.
Looking for ways to game the system obscures that the system we are gaming was supposedly developed to serve some goals that we, through our elected representatives, found worthy of striving for. It encourages us to judge the system and modifications to it by what they can do for us rather than what they can do to better meet the striveworthy goals. This is emphatically not the orientation we need in order to feel really proud of our country or to make politics the sort of thing that will drain the swamp rather than wallowing in it.
Why should we subside other people's kids?
We should subsidize the children of other people so that they grow up healthy and productive and keep the economy going for when we are too old to work and need a healthy economy to safeguard our retirement by maintaining the value of our investments. Also, we all started out totally helpless and needing subsidies by others, usually our families, to grow up, so we should pass this along to the next generation.
1
So basically what Mr. Rubio is saying is make more kids to lower your tax bill. Never mind you wont be able to afford to house them because the biggest expense, owning a home, will be out of reach to most larger families because of the proposed mortgage interest deduction cap.
We should be doing to opposite: Allowing the full credit for mortgage interest. Allowing full credit for college tuition. Encouraging families to be smaller and therefore better attended to and cared for. Providing government scholarships for students who agree to teach in the public schools for a few years after college. We should be giving tax incentives to smaller families, rewarding rational planning, not religious dogma.
Sen. Rubio, as always, sees only the tiniest sliver of the entire picture.
1
"Most important, expanding the child tax credit would align our nation’s tax code with what every parent already knows to be true: Raising children is the most important job we will ever have." And he's going to make sure we have children to raise by limiting access to birth control in any/every way he can.
2
I think Rubio may mean that tax reform can aid families, as long as they don't live in in New York, New Jersey, and California. Or if they don't have significant education or medical expenses. Rubio also does not explain how eliminating the estate tax will aid families--except the most fabulously wealthy ones. It would be nice if our Republicans in Congress could make a case for what their tax "reform" actually does--give huge tax breaks to the businesses and the wealthy--rather than pretend that it does something that it, in fact, does not do. The fact that these Republicans cannot defend their actually policies on their own terms, or even allow them to be formulated in the light of day, indicates that even they know that Americans will not support this "reform" when they realize what it actually does.
1
We all believe that tax reform "should" help American families; the question is, of course, will it help American families? It won't help me, since I am a senior on a fixed, limited income, so raising the individual deduction for one person will likely be offset not being able to claim state and local taxes.
Removing the deduction for interest on student loans also places an undue burden on those who really need student loans in order to achieve an education and rise economically.
Senator Rubio conveniently does not mention the enormous increase we can expect in the deficit by implementing this so-called tax "reform" plan. It is remarkable that Republicans are fine with increasing the deficit when they control both Houses of Congress and the Executive branch, but were utterly opposed to it during the tenure of President Obama after the financial meltdown of 2008. Sad.
It'd be nice if Mr. Rubio's definition of "having kids" included anything beyond biological children. Section 1406 of the current tax bill repeals an exception that allows employers to give up to $13,570 to employees for qualified adoption expenses and exclude these payments from the employee's income. So if this bill and this provision go through, adoption benefits are no longer pre-tax.
Believe me, Mr. Rubio, adopting kids is also expensive. My wife and I spent A LOT of money to adopt our daughter and it's been worth every single penny and more. We've also been blessed in recent years but we've also been blessed with a pre-tax adoption benefit from my employer.
It's too bad that you and your Republican friends don't believe that adoption is as important as having biological children.
Senators and their families have full access to birth control and reproductive services for infertility and pregnancy. Most American families have two workers and if they are middle class or upper middle class their tax rates are due to rise to 25% in 2018. Many are just entering the peak earning years of their lives, and they have to chose between paying their bills and rent, and affording child care. Doubling the per-child tax credit on families who earn around 130,000 will be negated by the tax rate increase in 2018. But people in higher tax brackets will pay less and earn more.
2
I'm surprised Senator Rubio has not taken up the cause of the elderly as well. Why is he only addressing one part of the picture?
I think we need a comprehensive plan that straightens out, organizes and administers support from child care, health and mental services and elder care.
Does Senator Rubio know how long one stays on the waiting list for senior services such as Meals on Wheels in Palm Beach County, for example?
I really wonder who these politicians think their real purpose is and what their constituents to need.
1
Sen. Rubio's child tax credit plan would be hard to justify if the Social Security system did not exist. But since parents currently make a "double contribution" into Social Security (payroll taxes to support today's retirees AND child-rearing costs to support tomorrow's retirees), per-child tax relief makes a lot of sense.
Indeed, without the child tax credit to offset this double contribution, parents would be robbed of the "social insurance" value of their children. That is not only unjust, but unwise for any society that hopes to sustain itself long into the future.
Having a family is not a right. it's a privilege.
How about an American where all have health care and some form of higher education is free and we have quality public schools.
The top 1% do not need any more money. Lincoln was the first to suggest that the wealthy help the rest of the country. it is still true today.
Senator - some of the biggest child costs actually start 9 months before the child is born. Pregnancy and childbirth are expensive, with visits to the doctor and the hospital. What's your plan to provide Americans with health insurance to cover the enormous costs of child birth?
3
So Mr Rubio, you and your fellow Republicans throw the middle class a bone but give the steak to big corporations and the wealthy. Sounds about right for a party of con men.
1
Rubio is an embarassment. He is either lying or mouthing platitudes, sometimes (as in this article) both. Enough of this man already.
2
Summer camps Mr. Rubio? How quaint. Try food and clothing. Many are just trying to make that happen. Open your privileged eyes and truly stand up for your fellow Americans by drafting more than a tax cut for your future campaign donors. I wish I could believe you actually care.
The middle class, if they're lucky, will get some crumbs from this $1.5 trillion wedding cake. The rich and super-rich get the big yummy slices. Stop pandering about family values. We see you, Marco Rubio. You always put your donors first.
2
Doubling the per-child tax credit to $2000 while eliminating the individual personal deduction (slightly over $4000) for each child is not a way to benefit families. The Senator speaks out of both sides of his mouth, but the more important side to listen to is the one that votes with his party in its support of the very wealthy at the expense of the rest of us and the elimination of the ACA that makes funding the healthcare costs of those children more affordable. You could do better if you chose, Senator, but you do not.
Interesting that Mr. Rubio enthuses so about the child tax credit but says not a word about the corporate tax cuts that will likely explode the deficit and not help American families at all. The math on this bill doesn't add up. All the honeyed words in the world can't change that, Mr. Rubio. Please don't insult our intelligence more than you already have.
3
The present tax reform bill is a disgrace to the Republican Party, since it exposes their posturing about fiscal responsibility during the Obama years as pure hypocrisy. Marco Rubio's proposals are argued on the premise that the nation needs more children. Given that the environment is steadily being degraded and that there is already a housing crisis in many areas, the fact that he -- or anyone -- has four children is appalling. Provide family tax assistance, but don't do anything (like limiting birth control access and funding) that will result in larger families.
2
If your objective is to assist and prioritize families, why are you doing away with the personal exemption, the most child-friendly aspect of our Internal Revenue Code?
1
"America" aka USA, the grandest, most developed nation in the world —come one come all. Yeah, right.
If "raising children is the most important job" then why is the GOP hellbent on taking away health insurance? Why don't they support family friendly workplace policies? Why are they insisting on cutting SNAP benefits for poor families? It's totally disingenuous to sell this tax cut as a boon for the middle class. It's a boondoggle in actuality.
2
Oh, dear little Marco, peddling a terrible tax reform plan under the disguise of helping families.
"Families are how our values are passed down from generation to generation."
That's right.
No decent healthcare.
No paid maternity/paternity leave.
No free college.
Terrible vision and dental care.
No quality Prenatal care.
Sending young people off to fight illegal wars.
Hating the LGBTQ community.
Guns, guns, guns.
God, god, god.
Yes, Marco, we know the values that are passed down by you and your Republican phonies.
This ridiculous attempt to get back into the limelight is sad and laughable.
7
I agree that we need to support lower-income families. Encouraging us to have bigger families, however, is not environmentally sustainable.
3
I'm all for helping families as long as they don't exceed 2 children. Any more: you're on your own buck.
2
Rubio lies as usual. He takes one point from the tax reform of increasing the child benefit tax. Yet, those of us who are retired and pay for our health insurance and cost will loose our deduction. That's a pretty big life style cost. But if you get employee coverage you remain tax free. Its also highly unfair.No health savings accounts for Seniors. And he represents Florida.Please remember the GOP has cut funding for state and local governments - so if states raise taxes then those tax payers are now to be taxed.So when local governments are self reliant, the GOP answer is btax them. Worker gets a bonus - its taxed; a citizen gets an inheritance its tax free. Increase in wages will be taxed; increase in dividend earnings tax free. This is most ridiculous, class-favoir5ed shuffling of the cards in American history. Long live the oligarchy - just like Russia, only the poor pay taxes. Bring back Leona Hesmsly. The Red States will be even more subsidized then they are now. Americans who want stable sound local government will be penalized. We can all become Kansas. Hey Mr. Ryan why are Vlue states so much richer, better educated, healthier and have less crime than Red states.
1
For any Republican Senator or Congressperson to suggest that this bill, or any of the others they might concoct, “should” benefit families is the height of hypocrisy. Or that they place families anywhere near the top of a socio-economic priority list is a shameful and mean-spirited hoax. With all their bluster, abuse, petulance and treasonous greed, we must not forget that these are, in the end, despicable people immune to the damage they purposefully inflict on their fellow citizens.
If Sen. Rubio genuinely wanted to reform the tax system, he would oppose its use for making policy. Taxes should be used to raise revenue, and that is all. If Congress wants to support a particular policy, it should do so through legislation and appropriation. Of course if they did that, there would not be all the loopholes and credit favors to grant to potential campaign contributors. In addition, they would have to vote on policies and, thus, be put in a position to be held politically accountable.
Most Americans resent the tax system because they view it as unfair. Make it just about raising revenue, treat all income the same, and everyone can fill out a one-page 1040 in minutes rather than hours. If Congress wants to subsidize mortgage-holding homeowners, people with children, users of solar power, tobacco growers, churches, or any other group that is currently done through the tax code, let them go on record and pass legislation granting the money. They should not be able to hide behind a pork-laden tax code so long and complex that I would bet not a single Member of Congress has actually read the whole thing.
Much of the discontent voters made evident in the last election resulted from a justified feeling "the system" is both unfair and unaccountable. Returning taxes to their original function of only raising revenue, and forcing politicians to take a stand by having to vote on functional subsidies would be a good start to reawakening Americans' faith in "the system."
1
Though I disagree with many of his positions and votes, “Little Marco” is a much bigger man than Donald Trump. His justifiable concern for children should include not saddling then with another $1.5+ trillion in deficit spending while they are growing up.
He and his Senate colleagues should insist on what Sen. McCain refers to as “regular order” for pursuing any tax legislation. Otherwise it will deservedly meet the same fate as the various PPACA “repeal and replace” measures. A ”win” for Trump and the GOP leadership is a loss for the nation.
1
Wow. Little Marco whom President Trump called someone who is unqualified to be a dog catcher is telling American people how wonderful few hundred dollars worth of tax cut is. Shame on all of us to allow a Koch brother stooge to even pretend that he cares for the middle class and poor.
Mr. Rubio, please stop this fake concern. BTW in lieu of this minuscule amount middle class and poor are going to lose big time in service cut. Can Mr. Rubio promise us that he will filibuster cuts to social programs?
5
I don't need tax relief-I need you to stop wasting the money I do pay on private jets for rich people.
I need medical premium relief-more of my paycheck goes there then to taxes.
1
As an RN, I took a look at our world and decided not to have children; there are many other ways to contribute to and experience fulfillment in our society. So, I end up paying 33% of my income, while people who have kids (and may or may not raise them to be kind people) should have tax breaks?? There is such an unfair bias toward people who breed; it's not as if one has to take out loans to learn to get pregnant. It just happens, and then those of us who make conscious choices to respect our place on the planet end up footing the bill.
3
So let me get this straight:Trump, (WHO STILL HAS NOT RELEASED HIS TAX RETURNS) and his cabinet have billions stashed in offshore accounts, and we are supposed to be thankful for a $2,000/year child tax credit.
Golly, where can I send my thank you note?
Infant day care in Chicagoland is near or over $2000 a month. Many/Most couples of child bearing ages can't afford that on top rent or a mortgage. As a country we must help couples in their 20's and early 30's have more children if possible. The soaring autism rates are due to old Dad's and old Mom's ie having kids in your 40's. Senator Rubio's extra $600 is a joke, we need a "have children in 20's and pay in your 40's account".
I was hoping the title of Mr Rubio's piece would reflect the attack on American Families that is the Republican House Tax Plan. Like Marco Rubio, I have over $100K in student loans (mine from medical school) - the new tax plan no longer allows me to deduct interest payments on this investment I've made. Like Marco Rubio, I plan to create a family and purchase a home - my version of the American dream. I (in a same-sex relationship), like other couples facing infertility, will be building this family through adoption - the Republican tax plan removes the ability to deduct legal fees.
This plan is a winfall for the wealthy corporations and the richest Americans at the expense of the American Family. Senator Rubio, please consider your goals in light of the realities of this legislation.
I can't believe the level of hypocrisy. Everyone is so critical. You would think the Democrats had the panacea. But then I've seen their own chew them up too. It's too bad Americans can't work together.
Nice sentiment, Mr. Rubio. As a former presidential candidate, this op-ed is a pathetic non-argument, neither helping American families nor indicating how he will champion them against his own party's mean spirited aim to hurt them. So will he cave to his party's line and prove he's actually Little Marco Rubio, or show us that he is indeed presidential?
Mr. Rubio, the tax break your party is giving to the rich and the corporate is the main thrust of this bill. You know that, sir. You highlight a tiny tidbit as if it were the whole. You do not even recognize that your party, and you, have worked against that very tidbit for my entire lifetime. You have no integrity, sir, and it shows to all who read and think.
1
I love it. The cost of raising a child is $230,000 over a childhood, and Rubio thinks a $1000 increase in the child tax credit will make a difference? Thanks Marco.
Why do I feel like we are under siege by Dumb and Dumber?
We are raising taxes on the poorest among us, from 10% to 12%. We are pretending to salve that wound by a smokescreen which involves raising the standard deduction (while eliminating the, for large families, absolutely essential personal exemption), midst literally giving wealthy people (who, for their own warped reasons, don't see themselves as wealthy - or wealthy enough) a reduction in taxes so enormous as to dwarf the individual incomes of average citizens.
And that's just for starters.
Trump and Rubio: two con men with minimal credentials, both of them intent on using immigrants, religions outside the Judeo-Christian arc, and the false pretense of "conservatism" to sell us two pounds of manure in one pound bags.
So let's spend all our time ooohing over Rubio's plight, then allow ourselves to be dazzled by Trump's bright shiny objects. What better way to avoid gaining any recognition of the importance of unity over the temporary lure of self-interest, while our morality and our nation go down the toilet.
Now we have Marco Rubio telling us this morning that we should "value" working people and their families...."We simply cannot have a strong nation without strong families, and working Americans face a challenge in the cost of raising children that threatens the health and vitality of our country".
You write your little opinion piece here and speak as though all of us are just too dumb to know that it is you and your rotten party that have done everything to cause the demise of workers, wages, job security, healthcare and education for the masses. You spend your days dialing for dollars from the very oligarchs that this "tax swindle" plan has been designed for. Stop preaching about how the working class needs to be "valued". You have done everything to destroy it.
1
Is there any problem for which tax reform isn't the answer? Maybe I can apply the reformed tax code to my hemorrhoids and it will cure those as well.
1
Hey Marco, you know what would REALLY help Americans? Getting your GOP to think rationally and stop supporting this lunatic president.
1
That's just awesome, helping families and all. But why do you also want to give away trillions to major corporations and the 1%.
Raising children IS the most important thing we do, but more thought needs to go into how many children we have. The planet is facing over population, we should only replace ourselves.
1
Tax credits and cuts are chump change and will not do one bit to help people. What people need are better wages. And no, cutting taxes and corporations who are already sitting on piles of money will not raise wages.
Why should people who limit their family size for economic reasons (in additional to environmental reasons) pay more taxes than people who do not limit their family size. If Marco Rubio wanted 4 children, then he should have planned out his personal finances for them. If he could not afford them, then he should have limited his family size. If every family had 4 children, then the world's population would double in 1 generation and the world cannot afford that either.
3
Since HUMAN OVERPOPULATION is the root cause of nearly all the world's problems, Senator Rubio's call for increased BREEDING SUBSIDIES is irresponsible, dangerous and wrong-headed.
People should be TAXED more, not less, for contributing to the overpopulation problem.
Non-breeders like me should be the ones getting a tax break for not being part of the problem!
2
As a working, single parent, this tax change will increase my tax burden significantly. I always made too much for the child tax credit and still will, but just barely. Losing the exemptions and my itemizations will increase my tax bill by $4,000. And my child is four years away from college, so that money is greatly needed. I have paid taxes at an effective rate of 18-19% of my gross salary, which I believe is more than some millionaires. Removing the state tax deduction in states with modest property taxes and modest property values will now make mortgage interest deductions moot for most, but the increased standard deduction is less than I deducted before with my exemptions. Will my house lose value too? I doubt I'll see that promised economy kicker so I expect to make backwards progression over the next few years. It's not just a high tax, blue state problem. I live in a red state whose economy will suffer from the reduced spending by many others in my situation.
Yes Senator, life is expensive. It's expensive to be middle-class. It would help if we had universal free health care, good quality fully funded public education through college, a busy vibrant infrastructure building and maintenance, clean energy investments, pathways to citizenship for immigrants, a well-regulated financial sector, public spaces for everyone to share and enjoy. We need a New Deal. Thomas Pickety is still right. Read his book and stop lying about your tax breaks are going to solve all problems. You are lying and you know it. Stop. Just stop it.
If this tax bill were such a great deal for American families, why was it created in secret, without public input, expert advice, open hearings, amendments and why wasn't it broadly discussed in open session with bipartisan input?
If you reject regular order to rush through a bill on 50 one-party votes, it won't last longer than this Congress. it's not the way to govern when more than half the voters supported the other party.
This opinion by Mr Rubio regarding families with children, comments of middle class parents of college-aged children, and my situation of being a middle class individual with a fixed income losing his state income tax deduction and personal exemption agree on one thing, taxes will be going up for a majority in the middle class. The middle class is being sold a bill of goods and some Trump snake oil if they think they are getting a tax cut. The beneficiaries are the one percent - including Mr Trump and his progeny. What a surprise!
Senator Rubio's portrayal of the financial difficulty of raising a family overlooks the massive upward redistribution of pre-tax income which has taken place in the U.S. in the past 40 years.
The Republican tax reform plan in its current form would worsen that outcome. Even the Rubio-Lee child tax credit would amount to just minor tinkering. What these senators need to do is vote down the current plan and insist with John McCain and others on a bipartisan bill developed through regular order. We need tax reform, but overall we don't need a cut, especially not one financed by pushing debt:income ratios higher.
If enacted the current bill will shift several million more voters away from the Republicans, which would be beneficial to the country on more than just tax matters.
https://blog.harvardlawreview.org/author/shannonweeksmccormack/
When do corporations have children?
If businesses are people too, then we must be pro-family already, we are pro-corporate family. That must be the policy Rubio is confusing here in America. We are not pro-human family, as a nation, we do everything in our power to destroy humans values and decency with our capitalist society.
3
NO TAX CUTS OR "REFORM" UNTIL GUN CONTROL MEASURES ARE ADOPTED!
I know Rubio wrote this before the church shooting in Texas, but already this morning Ryan is bombarding Twitter with promotion of his tax bill. And of course the president is blaming mental health issues, not guns.
If we let Ryan, McConnell, Rubio, Trump, etc. continue to talk about taxes, there will yet again be no effort to address mass shootings. There should be NOTHING going on in Congress this week but the drafting of sensible gun control measures. We should refuse to allow them even to mention taxes.
The only mental health issue around mass shootings is the sociopathic refusal to consider sensible gun control measures in the face of so many shootings in order to retain the favor of the NRA and keep politicians' jobs and their donations. We must not indulge this mental illness.
3
Yes, raising children is exceedingly expensive. Our baby costs us in excess of $240K for ages 0 to 22, when he graduated from college. He's 41 years old, in a relationship with a wonderful young lady for an extended period of time. He is still not married and they are not certain they would like to even attempt to raise children. Yes, people with children deserve an increase in the child care deductions and folks with elderly infirmed parents or relatives deserve realistic deductions, not the loss of same or anemic increases.
Just whom do you and your fellow Republicans think they are fooling? Just because the American people choose 'DJT's magic economics' over just plain reality and commonsense doesn't mean that trend will continue. Make sure corporations and the upper income 10% need to pay their fair share. What is interesting is that the Republicans, like yourself lack caring and compassion for anything except the 'almighty dollar bill'. Yes, that's your God and motivation and that just doesn't serve the remaining 90% of the working middle and lower income folks. Keep up this crazy money lust and there will be no American future because no one will be able to afford to have children. Then, I ask you sir, who will buy that junk and unnecessary wares that those corporations pedal and received tax breaks to create jobs on the shoulders of the middle and lower class folks? America will not continue to be stupid.
4
No Mr. Rubio, this will not help the middle class or seniors, a large part of your constituency. Most deductions for the middle class sunset after 5 years, while those for the wealthy go on forever.
Seniors who have high medical expenses from nursing homes, uncovered medical expenses from things like cancer or simply trying to be responsible by purchasing long term care insurance, need to be able to deduct these expenses in order to remain solvent. To take them away at the cost of further enriching the wealthy is despicable.
7
And Senator Rubio should have been elected President...sometimes "should" doesn't really happen. While tax credits for having families are great, approximately 50% of Americans wouldn't qualify for these credits. Amazing how out of touch our Congress is.
1
Senator Rubio, how dare you mention your $100k student loan debt and neglect to mention that your political benefactor facilitated its repayment through an incredibly sweet book publishing deal?! Less than 8,000 copies sold: just how much was each copy and how many people actually bought a copy to read? Your campaign comments that liberal arts colleges serve as indoctrination camps for those your party considers its enemies reveals how you really feel about the value of education.
Tax cuts?! We have a huge Revenue shortfall, which could easily be fixed by collecting taxes on all income, not just the first $127k, which is more than most have ever made in a year. We could use the bounty, as during the Eisenhower administration, to rebuild the middle class and repair and expand our neglected infrastructure. This is obvious to people not brainwashed by FoxNews. America thrives when those most able pay their fair share.
5
Mr. Rubio must be from another party and not the GOP. That party’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans - think elimination of the estate tax - are to be paid for in part by taking away the deductibility of student loans! There is no good economic reason for tax cuts of any kind now. Current tax levels still fall short of expenditures. Corporate profitability continues to be robust. Unemployment is extremely low. We should be making smart investments in our infrastructure, in education, in public services and preparing for the coming downturn in the economy. To be conservative has lost all meaning with this bunch.
4
I doubt very seriously any child tax credit expansion Congress would pass would cover even one month of infant or toddler day care expenses. But here's the real problem. The cost of raising children often manifests itself in lower lifetime earnings, including retirement income, for highly-educated women like me who stayed home with her kids until they started kindergarten rather than pay the equivalent of the tuition at a state university for day care. The hit to one's career and earnings are real. Compared to European countries, the idea that this country cares about the cost of raising children is laughable.
5
We must end Birthright Citizenship that confers US citizenship on children born to parents who aren't legally present in the US, who can't legally work to support kids in the US. Expanding the Child Tax Credit before we have regained control of a functioning immigration system will merely lead to even more tax returns filed fraudulently to collect child tax credits.
http://www.factcheck.org/2012/05/tax-credits-for-illegal-immigrants/
2
Josh Hoxie of FORTUNE magazine made it perfectly clear: "Trump’s Tax Cuts Are the Biggest Wealth Grab in Modern History."
Unless we speak up to our elected officials, this abomination will become law. Contact your congressional representative and senator. Let them know you will not allow our nation to be turned into an oligarchy.
This may be your last chance to prevent this train wreck. If this tax plan passes, we are each ultimately responsible. Use the congressional directory below to contact your officials and let them know you do not support this plan -- and will vote against them if they do.
https://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_index_subjects/Directories_vr...
1
Okay, Senator Rubio, having raised children and owned a small business (es) I have an idea; how about Medicare for all funded with a no cap tax that sets a rate for all Americas on every dollar that they earn in any way that they earn it (or are gifted it as in inheritance and yes, family gifts). Not talking about a huge tax but a comprehensive one. The existence of a national health plan would eliminate a lot of the fear in the back of the minds of all Americans including prospective parents.
To that you can add tuition free education for the first two years of college (you still have room and board and books which will still many poor student to live at home and do their first two years in a community college to help sort out their majors and interests). So that the burden of this very important need is better met by everyone in our society.
If you truly want prospective parents to feel more confident about the world that they will bring a child into, add sensible gun control and nuclear disarmament to your conversation. Right now some of the young people that I know look at the world that you politicians are so ineptly shaping and shake their heads about bringing children into it. Think about that, buddy.
13
This tax "reform", which is a naked long-term shifting of the tax burden from the rich to the middle class, is the biggest con accompanied by the biggest hype since Orson Welles' War of The Worlds broadcast. And you will notice that notwithstanding the massive negative effect it will have on all of our lives, they are managing to quell the outrage and sneak it in under the radar by encouraging the media to discuss anything but the shifting of the burden. Does ANYONE even notice that they are getting rid of the personal exemptions, which completely negates the doubling of the standard deduction? What a con. But besides the outright theft involved, the long term harm for our nation and its populace will be devastating- exploding deficits, inability going forward to fund our defense, Medicare, infrastructure rehabilitation etc. All to pay back some Republican donors who are rendering their bill to the politicians they installed in office. We strive in our governance and in the way we choose our "leadership" to be Argentina in the 1970's. The sad demise of a nation that had been a savior and a beacon to others.
This reminds me of Cohn saying $1,000 in my pocket means I can buy a new car or remodel my kitchen. Just like "welfare queens" do not have more children to bump up their monthly check, families will not have more kids (or find it easier to afford the kids they do have) because of a $1,000 tax break. The fix needs to be way more fundamental, and gigantic, than a tax cut. But I do appreciate that Sen. Rubio wants to put families ahead of lobbyists. In words, at least. Let's see the deeds!
Rubio is spouting gobbledygook. He's going to vote yes on a bill that is destructive to the republic and to the people of the republic all to satisfy some rich patrons who will never be satisfied because they always want more money.
Rubio should Vote NO on the Tax Cut, Cut, Cut bill and then put through an actual individual bill that helps families. By the way a $2,000 tax credit a year is peanuts in terms of the cost raising a child.
1
For this bit of rhetorical hooey, you, sir, should be voted out of office.
1
Sorry, but massive tax breaks for corporations that they are just going to use to buy back their own stock cannot compare with the mere crumbs being given to the middle class, and will not result in any significant economic stimulus beyond rewarding existing stock holders. If anything, I see the middle class paying higher taxes due to elimination of itemized deductions and SALTs. Its all smoke and mirrors for another big wealth transfer to the very top - all wealthy Republican donors.
2
Sure Marco—eliminate medical deductions and reduce deductions on state and local taxes (double taxation) and mortgage interest. That’ll REALLY help Middle Class Americans.
Sell your snake oil elsewhere.
2
I can't believe we are talking about a huge tax cut for the uber rich and giant corporations. David Koch doesn't need a tax cut so he can buy more $100,000 bottles of wine. What we need is to invest in America, our roads and bridges are crumbling, schools are in disrepair, teachers are underpaid, this Republican bill is nothing but a huge give away to the 1% who are doing just fine.
The Republicans propose reducing tax breaks for student loan interest (an issue Rubio, one of my Senators knows about, but he got a sweet book deal and was able to pay off his loans), reducing the tax break for deduction for medical costs a tax break I used twice when I was trying to have children and spending thousands upon thousands on IVF but also a tax break that many older Americans use and a tax break many American parents use to help with cost of sick children so that The Waltons and the Mercers and Trump and his family can avoid paying anything in taxes (Trump in 2005 only paid taxes because of the AMT and now the Republicans propose repealing it which is a huge give away to Trump and his ilk).
2
Don't add 1.5 trillion to the national debt in order to give the already wealthy more wealth. Mr. Rubio- are you remotely serious about helping families? Or is this just more GOP bobbing head, chanting "middle class, middle class"? The current tax proposals are not about helping families or the vast majority of Americans. You know this since you are not unintelligent. Stop carrying water for the liars, stand up and be counted among those actually working to help our nation. But then, of course, that would require you to change your party affiliation to the Democrats.
1
"Tax reform is a key part of reinvigorating the American dream so that couples have the flexibility to choose how to best start and raise a family."
Based upon what Republicans are proposing your statement apparently is about couples with estates worth over $10 million, as you Republicans will give them more flexibility about how to pass on their wealth to their children.
1
Yes, Marco, the total fertility rate has a gap of "half" a child.
But do you really think you'll cure that "gap" of "half" a kid by injecting a "personhood" law into this "tax cut" bill?
The "personhood" laws have failed every time they have been voted on.
No one wants it because they fully understand that, actually, it's just an anti-abortion measure, slipped in. And 75% of this nation approves of abortion. They also approve of birth control. It is only a minority of the citizens of this nation who want abortion and birth control out-lawed. They are the ones screaming that those two cells are a fully-legal citizen with all rights intact.
Well.... "all rights intact' up until the moment that they are born.
Because, at the moment they are born, THAT is the deciding moment on what "rights" they get.
If they are a little male, then they get full an absolute inclusion within the Constitution of the United States.
However, if they are a little female, then, sorry! Females have only ONE Constitutional right: They can vote! In 18 years....!
Oh, those little "personhoods"! They are all equal .... until they are born.
Sad. Instead of "slipping" this "personhood" law in, the Republicans could have slipped in an Equal Rights statement.
But why would they do that?
Admit it, Marco.... you want this "tax cut" passed because it carries a "personhood" clause and you know that you can't get that the ballot box.
Wow. Is that ugly or what...?
1
Working families is not a consideration with most tax legislation. It is the production of tax revenue necessary to run the government. States with high taxes like California and New York have been subsidized by the federal government for years. Housing is grossly overpriced in California. It is a shame that California real estate is so expensive but that is not my problem. Move to Nevada if you are so unhappy.
America is making irreversible bad decisions by Republican policies that deny support to American families - investments really, that other advanced countries have embraced, even China. Providing universal quality preschool and health care for children is their ticket to trouncing America, without firing a shot.
I use the word irreversible with intention. We have lost at least a generation in our race to the bottom. A generation (plural?) that we won't get a second chance to ensure is well educated and healthy and ready. Instead of fueling our country's former greatness these citizens are likely to be unproductive and dependent over their lifetime.
Make America Great Again? What a total lie. Our time in the sun is already over, thanks 100% to Republican ideals of greed and ugly division.
1
Marco Rubio's advocacy of an increase in the tax credit for children is a cynical deflection from the fact that this Republican "tax cut-cut-cut" approach is designed overwhelmingly to benefit the rich and the super-rich, and not American middle-class families. It is the typical GOP approach, which comforts the comfortable and afflicts the afflicted. To pick out one of the few arguably defensible details of the Republican tax plan and to argue that this so-called "tax reform" will "help American families" is at best disingenuous. It represents the design, in Rubio's own words, of "increasingly out-of-touch, ruling-class elites in the wealthiest country in the world." Rubio is their tool and his op-ed is a calculated deceit.
2
Sorry, Marco Rubio, you’re full of baloney. If you cared so much about children and families you sure don’t show it.
Didn’t you let CHIP expire just last month? What about those 9 million kids getting health insurance? Oh, it’s their parents fault that they’re low income? Maybe they had counted on that when they decided to have a child but then your Congress just took it away.
And how does $1.5 Trillion tax cut for corporations help me support my children? I haven’t figured that one out yet.
Instead of his flimsy idea - really how long did it take you to think of this? - you should do these three things if you truly want to support families with children:
1) Subsidized/fully funded childcare
2) Paid parental leave for 6 months
3) Real tax relief for the middle class (and you know this phoney tax reform bill isn’t that)
You can pay for it by foregoing the $1.5 Trillion corporate tax cut.
6
I agree with Mr Rubio. Kids are expensive. That's why we only had one. If other people get in over their heads with more kids than they can afford, I don't want my tax dollars to bail them out personally. I'd much rather my taxes fund education and health care directly. Both those things benefit the future generation, and by extension they benefit the aging me. But I don't feel like increasing tax relief directly to families to who choose to have more kids than they can afford. And I'm not suggesting abortion. Just look at a balance sheet before you decide how many kids you're gonna have.
3
That's nice. What about those of us who's children are now grown and moved out on their own? Where was this tax relief when our children were younger? Between this useless tax break that a lot of people cannot use and the taking away of other deductions those of us in blue states DO need like state/local taxes and interest on our mortgages (now being capped at $500K) even though in high cost cities this will also not be a helpful move, removing the deductions for student loan interest is another one. I'm paying my daughter's loan off and can use that deduction as well. My husband says our taxes will rise $4K-$5K this year on top of what we PAID last year. Looks like I'll have to put off buying anything big or taking a vacation in 2018 in order to foot the bill for this. They plan to bankrupt the middle class one family at a time in order to help their rich friends. Lovely.
2
Good idea Senator on the child tax credit. Now look at the rest of the proposed Republican tax plan and make it truly middle class friendly. The current version overwhelmingly favors the rich, will probably raise taxes on many middle class people, and will raise the deficit (which will eventually raise interest rates and will make things even harder for families and kids to afford college). Your proposal, while appreciated, smells powerfully like political and hypocritical opportunism. What will really help families is making our tax system more progressive and adopting policies the foster less inequality.
3
Mr. Rubio, your presidential run was beset by the fact you refused to be bold in the face of a unrepentant liar. The editorial is just more of the same, tossing cotton balls at a sledgehammer. Be bold and propose action that actually serves the citizens of this country, that, sir is leadership.
24
I fail to see how fewer marriages and fewer children equal a working class family crisis. The decisions not to marry and/or not to have children are personal choices that more and more of us are making and that have absolutely nothing to do with tax (dis)incentives. And what about those of us who are financial backstops for our aging parents? Why should we subsidize someone else’s family at the expense of our own? How about a little tax reform love for working families of one? Our obligations are no less worthy because they do not involve children.
23
If you are so concerned about children and families, why have you not voted on legislation to continue CHIP??
1
There are so many reasons this Tax Bill is bad and people have enumerated most of them. Only a Republican like Mr. Rubio would fail to see the flaws in this bill. But there is one facet of the bill that has not received enough attention and that is a little law buried in this big bill that gives fetuses personhood. Will they be deductions? Keep women's reproductive rights separate from bills that have nothing to do with the issues. Don't try to cheat Americans by getting them to pass laws that are taking a hidden ride on an unrelated bill.
According to Republicans, the projected trillions in deficits built into this plan by bestowing trillions in tax cuts on businesses and the wealthy will be paid for by them generously plowing the money back into jobs and economic growth.
That is basic Republican trickle down theory for which there is only negative evidence over the past 40-50 years. It has been tried and has failed repeatedly and is a large reason why the country is already trillions in debt.
But don't worry about the deficits middle and working class America. Just keep focusing on the few hundred bucks that will be coming your way under the Republican plan. When those deficits start to spike, Republicans will duly declare a "deficit emergency" and seek to address it by cutting your Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid -- which they disdainfully refer to as "entitlements," little better than welfare.
1
I'll be darned. I agree wholeheartedly with Marco Rubio.
But I bet he's still voting for the Republican tax plan, no matter what horrible things it does to working families.
And Rubio trots out one the most tired tropes of the republican playbook: wax sentimentally about the nuclear family and waive about a child tax credit while shafting the middle and lower classes in other ways. How about tax reform that helps Americans regardless of whether they have a dependent child at home? Oh wait, that would mean you were serious about helping people outside the donor class.
1
Trickle down economics is a GOP scam, trickle down economics is a GOP scam, trickle down economics is a GOP scam,,,,,,,,repeat after me, trickle.....
Maybe some day we'll understand that income and wealth inequality are the problem, not the need for a few more bandaids. Bring back the 91% tax bracket.
1
Really heartbreaking about your student loans senator. Now that you have paid yours off, you want to remove the ability of others to deduct the interest on theirs. Maybe you would like to explain how it helps to levy a tax on families forced to spend 10 percent or more of their income on a major medical event or damage or loss of their homes due to a disaster?
1
To Whom it may Concern,
My company is actively pursuing marketing opportunities for our product and would like to know your pricing for an op-ed piece such as this one. Very effective.
Regards,
1
I wish those who espouse help for "hard working families" did not have so much concern for those families who are not hard working - specifically those living off investments, inheritances, or jobs where the money to effort expended ratios are soaring. Roofers and truck drivers are hard working. Stock market gamblers aren't.
3
So, Rubio wants to give families and not "special interests" tax cuts. Then he surely won't vote for a bill that eliminates medical expenses as a deduction, since that's such a significant expense for many. And he won't vote for a bill that eliminates adoption credits. Right Mr. Rubio?
Two thousand dollars per year doesn't pay for three months of high quality preschool child care. In many cases. It costs more than $2000 for two months of preschool programs. Instead of a tax rebate, the federal government should create national preschool (and healthcare).
Mr. Rubio,
Two questions:
1. Knowing that ‘Tickle Down’ doesn’t work, why does anyone in the 1% need a tax cut?
1. What deductions, etc. that business currently use to lower their taxes will be eliminated if you lower their tax base to 20%?
Yes, tax 'reform' should help American families.
This bill won't.
1
Mr Rubio is right in many ways. Here in Silicon Valley, I know many people with one child since good child care can run $2500 a month. Most people won't have more than 2 children. But he seems to dismiss other factors. Having 1 or 2 kids means that those children get more resources and attention. Gone are the days when people had as many children as god willed. Parents today are actively raising their children. Parents today want each of their children to have the best education and resources to get ahead.
He also dismisses the fact that many people don't want kids and a $2k or $4k tax credit won't make people have kids.
1
This is The New York Times. Readers here are not so easily misled. Check your self Senator Rubio!
1
What about single people with no children? We have family too. Many times, because we have no other "obligations" we're the ones who take care of the elderly parent(s), the handicapped sibling, sorting through the paperwork and fighting with the various "insurers". We find and set up the in home help. Yet we get no help when we need it. We sacrifice too. And yet, whenever we need help the monetary limits are set so low that we're ineligible for help.
Mr. Rubio, if you want to help families you need to help all of us. Women need access to contraception, family planning services, quality day care that doesn't cost a fortune. Men need to be able to take time off when there's a family crisis, a new family member, or to support their spouse when needed. Yet your party fights every motion to help families in the ways they need it most: with quality programs that work for everyone, not just the poor and middle class. Your party is the one that lives in an alternate reality where it's still the 1950s, only one income is needed to raise a family, where the LGBTQ community can be stigmatized, and where there is very little diversity.
Tax reform should help all Americans who depend upon paychecks to survive. And if we can't find a job because of ageism or because we're at full employment, perhaps there needs to be some mechanism in place so we don't go bankrupt after working for over 30 years.
3
It is not an understatement to say that Marco Rubio and other Cuban American Republican legislators always seem to espouse right wing GOP ideology over the interests of their constituents, even if hurts the pockets and health of South Florida voters.
With the magic wand of anti communism and socialism fervor, not to mention the Kennedy era and the Bay of Pigs fiasco, these Cuban American legislators embrace themselves arduously in an ideological fetish to justify almost anything that the Republican Party does as morally the right path for the welfare of its constituents.
Obamacare is a communist experiment, tax break for the wealthy is really a middle class tax cut; and President Trump is what America and the world needs, etc.
The ones who suffer are the middle class and the poor, and Cuban Americans who actually believe this recalcitrant nonsense.
Take it with a pinch of salt what Mr. Rubio writes and says. Governor Christ Christie was able to defragment him. It is about time South Florida is able to do it too.
Will Senator Rubio also be advocating to offset the increase in U.S. population growth he is supporting by also advocating for increased funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development to stabilize world population growth?
Shock! So, which side of the aisle is Rubio on? If he is on the side of a greater social safety next via taxes, great, but where does he stand on the other tax issues, such as the big tax cuts for corporations for this dopey and dangerous tax plan?
Oh please.... this is insanity do you think we all are 2 year olds?
2
Rubio, doesn't this sleight-of-hand play better on FOX than NYTimes?
2
Article was DOA. Tax code is far too complicated, and a way to incur debt while using that money to pad the rich. Marco, I frankly don't care about your 4 kids. You are one of the upper 1%, totally disconnected to common working people. I believe your upbringing but don't believe you took anything away from that. Also, I agree that families make America strong. Taking all the money from the middle class (which is where most families are) weakens and lessens families. Your column was a joke dressed up in false good intentions.
1
Just another empty suit offering pathetic, nearsighted solutions equivalent to bandaids that don’t stick.
2
Senator Rubio, you are a hypocrite.
Your party, with your connivance, just tried to jam through legislation - against the will of the American people - that would have stripped access to health care from millions of us, and disproportionately affected children. You have voted right along with your fellow Republicans as they have betrayed American workers by permitting employers to discriminate against women, allowing them to take benefits away by 'reclassifying' workers from employees to contractors, destabilized income permanence by undercutting unions and encouraging the switch to contract labor, and to deny family leave legislation that would allow families the flexibility to care for their loved ones. You have failed, miserably, to support the twin pillars of health care for American children, Planned Parenthood and the Children's Health Care act, even as your party defunds and erodes quality education that is critical for children's successful transition to adulthood.
You have done these things so that you can give the stupendously wealthy - those who have taken over 90% of the productivity gains for themselves over the last 20 years - yet another tax cut, and you lie when you say that will 'trickle down' to the middle class. It hasn't ever, and it won't in the future, and you know it. But those rich folks will put some of their crumbs in your pocket, and that is enough for you.
1
Republicans say they want to help the little guy. Republicans, Please stop helping me. I can't take any more of your help.
I just can't see the logic in giving tax breaks to the wealthiest in America while penalizing the middle class, students in college, people with disabilities and senior citizens with a policy that denies us deductions for medical expenses, state and local taxes, and mortgage interest. Each of these exemptions were put in place years ago to encourage young people to get a college education, to encourage home ownership, and to help defray the high cost of medical care that falls especially hard on people with disabilities or seniors. None of these are of particular importance to the wealthiest in the country, and are of concern only to the middle and working class. So any claim by Republicans in Congress that they are helping the little guy is a sham and is deceitful in the extreme. BTW, while Republicans are busy increasing taxes on the middle class and working class, they are intent on destroying the ACA which provides some relief to those same middle and working class families. Will Rubio take the same position on these issues that he takes on the child care credit? I hardly think so. He will fall in line with the rest of Republicans the Robin Hood in reverse scheme.
BTW, just how laughable is it to hear Trump say he won't benefit from the tax scheme proposed? Just how stupid does he think we are?
Dear Senator, I agree 100% with everything you say, and I would add that small business is the future for these children.
But I am not in the Senate, you are. There will be 2-3 Trump haters that will vote out of spite, not for these kids you talk about, and certainly not for their parents.
It's your job to identify them and make a deal.
At least that's how it use to work way before you got to DC.
I love reading the very thoughtful comments in the NYT. However, arguing here in comments on this site isn't good enough -- it won't have any DIRECT effect. You need to actually call your congressional representatives, and tell the staffer YOUR opinion.
ALL congressional offices measure how many calls they get each day, and they keep statistics on what the callers want. So even if your representative doesn't agree with your wishes, they'll be nervous about voting for something that most of their constituents are against.
The easiest way is to call the DC congressional switchboard, and they'll connect you to the right office. But with a little online searching, you can call their local offices as well, which will be cheaper
When you talk to a staffer, make it clear that you are one of the representative's constituents, in their state or district. Then speak politely but firmly, about ONE issue. Talk about how the issue will affect YOU, and other people you know, in THEIR state or district.
Call Congress TODAY: (Capital Switchboard will connect you to your representatives)
(202) 224-3121
To learn more: https://www.vigilance-jcwv.org/republican-budget-is-more-dangerous-than-...
1
With reform whether it be Health care or Tax reform there are going to be Americans that will be helped and those that will be hurt. The simplified version of the Tax filing can only occur if there are no complications like state and local tax deduction and no other multiple deductions that only a few take. I agree with Marco that the tax reform should help American families immensely and American families are the most important back bone of the future of America.
1
Mr. Rubio, if you're concerned that regular folks aren't going to get much benefit from this tax cut plan, I suggest you have a tough discussion with your colleagues about the plan's objectives. Your party has made it very clear that the primary objective is to cut corporate and business taxes - NOT individual taxes. In fact, I get the impression that the only reason House Republicans have included any individual tax cuts whatsoever is that they'd like to sell the bill as a cut for the middle class. It's a marketing ploy, pure and simple, to disguise massive tax cuts for corporate interests that will shift some of the burden to the upper-middle class and leave the rest for future generations to pay, with added compound interest.
How about instead, you and other influential Republicans push for a BIPARTISAN tax reform (not cut, reform) bill that modernizes the tax code, reduces taxes on lower & middle class, reduces business taxes to a more manageable 30% (not ridiculous 20%), and makes up the difference by getting rid of corporate and business loopholes. No more partisan nonsense, no more national debt, and no more shifting the tax burden from big business to individuals.
Why should we get more than 10k tax free on local taxes ... with the standard deduction doubling and the end of the AMT ... it's very fair. There is no reason someone in Kansas is subsidizing my 1m house and 15k local taxes ... on a second home -- in another part of the country. Sorry -- the tax code is broken. Just getting rid of the ATM helps lots of people in the high tax states. So, I have to pay a few K now on my local taxes -- but I get some back from the end of the crazy AMT. The AMT was to protect against the wealthiest taxpayers -- making 100k in 1964 is not the same as making 100k today. Maybe my accountant will not need the whole 4k he changes me just so I can pay my taxes?
I'm all for child tax credits -- but how much and how many ... do we need more kids with our immigration policy?
Most people don't understand the corporation tax -- how it works -- what it does and does not. Mr. Corporation is not a person living down the street.
1
What did you hope to achieve with this piece Senator? Did you think there were a few progressives you could reach out to and fool with this nonsense as you've conned your base? Or are you really so dim you believe what you wrote?
2
If our Republican Party is truly interested in reforming our tax structure, then I suggest they eliminate the per-child deduction. This isn't the 19th century any more and people shouldn't be rewarded for bringing more kinds in to an already crowded world.
And I don't believe a word the GOP says about how much better life will be after they're done with us.
1
Rubio states "Having kids is one of life’s greatest experiences. It’s also expensive. I should know — my wife, Jeanette, and I have four." "It’s now estimated that middle-class parents will spend more than $230,000 over the course of their son or daughter’s childhood — and that doesn’t even include college tuition."
The Rubio solution to helping families pay the ever increasing cost of raising children is to increase the child credit from the House Bill's proposed $1600 child tax credit to $2000. Rubio fixes this inadequate child assistance welfare payment by increasing it $400. Really?
Rubio's proposal is to help families by reducing their social security and Medicare Insurance Premium taxes to finance a small welfare payment to people with you children. Is this a good idea? Forget about whether this small tax savings is less than what many families lose in the Republican's tax bill.
This means taxpayers without children are left to make up the decline in Social Security and Medicare Insurance taxes or the Social Security system becomes more and more unstable. Is this really a totally inadequate proposal that just makes another tax problem (social security) worse?
Your additional $400 childcare credit increase does not do anything but destabilize Social Security and allow you to grab some publicity.
Does this really help families pay their child's health care cost? Higher education costs?
Is this really the best idea you have?
2
An increased child tax-credit doesn't make stronger families.
Rubio's done a bit of a bait and switch in his reasoning, and he knows an increased child tax credit proposal cannot help but boost him and GOP voters.
If a tax law change is going to get passed by this Congress, sure, increase the credit and make it refundable, but also limit the benefit to the first 2 or 3 children. The poorest families should not be encouraged to have children they are ill-equipped to actually "care" for in respects other than financial. There's much more to it than money, and it is unfair and wholly improper for two different families to have radically different tax bills or refunds simply because one decided to be maximally responsible, outstanding parents to fewer children while the other family outsources their parenting role to their oldest children, their community, and the federal government's beneficence. The latter doesn't make "stronger families," nor does it make America stronger.
1
Senator Rubio,
Our income tax structure needs streamlining, not more convolution. Tax deductions are for the well off, not the working class.
If you were interested in families, you would support healthcare for all so that they would be covered even when parents are between jobs, pursuing their own business or staying home with the children....not to mention daycare and higher education.
You would also prevent perpetrators of school and church massacres from obtaining weapons.
Nothing in your budget and corollary tax "reform," Senator, actually helps American families, except those of the extremely wealthy who don't need to pay inheritance tax. Taking away exemptions on one side and adding to child tax credits on the other side is a zero-sum game. Taking away the deduction for college loan interest limits the ability of older children to avail themselves of higher education. Taking away the deduction for medical expenses means that the government provides no relief for a desperately sick child. A huge tax cut for corporations will not in the last analysis create jobs for those entering the work force in the way your plan claims.
In the meantime, you're saddling future generations with mountains of debt and decaying infrastructure. That's the gift you and your Republican colleagues are giving to America's children—as well as one of the most intolerant societies in recent memory, even as we become more ethnically diverse.
You and your party are giving us a series of deceptions calculated to enrich a handful of already highly privileged families mightily while enriching the average family not one bit.
2
Sure, tax credit however much for two, and only two kids. Any more children than that, no more tax credit. There are already too many people in the world and we should not be supporting an increase in population, just replacement. Maybe free contraceptives would help.
1
This plan keeps the marriage tax penalty and increases welfare payments to single mothers. Where is the family here?
2
So Marco will you be voting NO on the rapidly emerging GOP tax overhaul that utterly favors corporations and big business and the wealthiest among us?
The legislation that our President gleefully describes as a really amazing tax break for average Americans — the family of four who will get a break equivalent to an extra $2.50 a day.
What is very apparently forthcoming from a Republican-only bill that so blatantly extends our grievous economic inequity is more of the same skewed economic distribution favoring the haves.
More of what has endemically left the majority of Americans in the economic dust and stripped the core middle class and the 50 million plus poor scrabbling ever more unsuccessfully for their reasonable share of the so called American prosperity.
Marco's sugar daddy car dealer likes this tax bill just the way it is.
What a smokescreen. He's talking about "families" making decisions about how many children and when to have them, and yet he consistently votes against women having choice and access to birth control and medically accurate information about reproduction and childbirth. He's a perfect example of patriarchal hypocrisy. For the GOP, it's always about money and power. If that requires using the bodies of half the country as political tools, just tell us a couple thousand dollars is all we need.
4
Republicans and Mr Rubio talk the talk but dont walk the walk about families and taking care of children. The tax bill which he supports hurts families with medical issues that affect their grand parents to children. Middle class people take the hit as corporations and the wealthy get a huge tax cut. How you can justify removing the estate tax and then drone on about the famliy and children. The only children being helped are the ones like the Trumps. Please save us the lecture and do something to help families vote no on this tax bill and support the middle class!
1
Two words: Carried interest.
You level that playing field in your tax reform plan and we just might consider you're actually serious about helping families and the middle class. Until then, take a hike Marco!
1
So why are you and your fellow Republican lying to us about who benefits from this tax plan?
4
It SHOULD help most American families, but if the House has its way, this bill will not. Call your congressman or congresswoman. The Republican Party is not interested in helping American families, unless you count the wealthy ones, the ones who give them BIG donations. Dems are not innocent in this.
If Senator Rubio is so concerned about the financial health of American families, perhaps he should stop voting for bills that would strip families of access to affordable health care. He might also want to stop the Republican Party's ongoing effort to destroy public education.
Senator Rubio knows first hand what it's like to emerge from law school with a student loan debt of $100,000. If Betsy DeVos gets her way, Senator Rubio's grand children won't emerge from law school with that kind of debt. They'll be that deep in debt coming out of high school.
4
The assumption underlying this piece is that people should be having more children. Why? Do we think that the world has too little population? Help families by helping them be successful without trying to social engineer bigger families.
2
Posturing rubbish from Rubio: who knew small families was a problem? Also Rubio makes a point about family planning but has NOTHING to say about birth control as an aid to that goal. Time to stop talking and start doing.
4
Doubling the tax credit won't change my family's decision on when or how many children to parent. Biology does that. If you haven't started by a certain age, you either take the plunge or you don't. An extra $1,000 dollars per year doesn't make any difference. What would make a difference is expanding and securing our social security such that our little $230,000 bundle of joy doesn't have to worry about supporting his or her parents when they go bankrupt in old age.
Marco Rubio and Mike Lee are stumping a $1.5 trillion dollar tax cut and an extra $83 dollars a month is supposed to make me feel happy about having children. A child costs almost $13,000 a year for at least 18 years, more like 26, that should be going to retirement savings. You think $1,000 is going to make or break the decision? I'm worried about my own parents in retirement. Now we get this coming from the same senators that want to cut my social security benefits while extending my retirement age to 67. Get lost creep.
4
Just a bunch of vague generalities. I'm more interested in knowing the specifics of Mr. Rubio's position on the Republican "cut ,cut cut, plan." This is just a euphemistic dodge.... If families were the "priority" the tax plan would look very different than it does.
2
I would ask Sen. Rubio why, if his caucus is so concerned with working Americans, the Republican Party opposes a living wage, which would do more to help the economy than the $22.00 a week this pathetic plan offers.
33
What a pack of lies!
My taxes are going to skyrocket because I will lose half my property tax deduction and my state and local tax deduction. My wife and I have 3 children and will lose all 5 personal exemptions which certainly doesn't help. I itemize so an increase in the standard deduction means zip.
And where will this enormous increase in my taxes go? To corporations and abolishing the estate tax so the Trumps and Wilbur Ross' of the world can safely pass their ill-gotten gains to their underserving offspring.
1
Senator Rubio,
If you care about the children the consider that your party’s TAX SCAM is set to burden them with taxes as soon as they reach an age to earn their own living.
Effectively, your party’s Christmas Present to the 1% is a HUGE TAX BURDEN to the youngest Americans who will inherit the debt of paying off the wealthy for your campaign contributions.
This is theft from the children!
1
As someone else mentioned, the glare to me is that he has the nerve to talk about how families "decide" not to have children because of the expense. Sounds like family planning to me, yet he votes against that consistently. How do those people prevent pregnancy, Senator? Just say no?
2
Yes, tax reform and simplification would be nice... but not THIS Republican plan! The Republican plan as written is a once-in-a-lifetime giveaway to the very "elites" that Trump decried in his campaign, and for whom the last two decades have brought unprecedented increases in wealth.
Deletion of the AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax) would be a windfall to the Trumps of this world as they are able to use the many existing loopholes to avoid most other taxation. The AMT was designed precisely so that the wealthy would pay SOME tax.
The proposed elimination of the Estate Tax gives this same extremely wealthy demographic a free ride upon their death. The present provisions of the Estate Tax already give an extremely wide swath of tax avoidance to family farms and small family businesses and very few families are ever affected by it, contrary to Republican rhetoric.
It was the philosophical intent of our Founding Fathers that the United States not devolve from Democracy to Plutocracy (a wealthy ruling class). Unfortunately this devolution is well upon, us and recent Supreme Court rulings equating money with speech have hastened it. The Estate Tax was a small measure meant to transfer a bit of great wealth to the public Treasury so that it could be used to the public good. To eliminate it would be a travesty.
Hey little Marco, nice bit of a ruse. You see while you and your comrades in the Putin administration are weaving tales of benefits for families, you made sure that the alumni of Goldman Sachs hedge fund folks keep "getting away with murder" with their beloved carried interest loophole.
1
If parents of children deserve it, and I have no doubt they do, why not grandparents of children? By that I mean: the ELDERLY.
The elderly now receive an extra personal exemption, so 2 of them as soon as the person reaches 65. They also can deduct medical expenses. And believe me, the elderly have many! Medicare has a monthly premium. In fact 2 of them. One for outpatient Medicare (Part B) and the other for drug coverage (Part A). Then there is the deductible for each of those, plus the Part A (hospitalization) duductible. THEN, there is the 20% copay. (For the deductiables and copay, many of us have secondary insurance, which for a couple would be about $5000 yearly. For anyone with cognitive or physical decline or any illness characteristic of old age, there are medical expenses, which, unless deductible, become almost beyond reach. (For those with elderly parents or grandparents, “daycare” might also mean custodial care for the elderly.)
Surely the Tax System should take the elderly into account, right along with children. After all, were it not for the elderly there would be no children!
Those of us who have reached our retirement years are concerned for generations coming behind us. We are concerned for the fate of our Republic, the fate of the environment, civil rights, equal justice. And most of us do not want to burden our children or grandchildren with our care.
Society, as whole, must take care of each other. We’ve done our part already!
1
Our country should value children, families and education. We should not need a slick tax credit or a massive corporate give away to implement necessary policy.
Tax reform should be about reversing income inequality and social mobility, both of which are getting worse in the United States. Social mobility for young Americans is among the lowest in the industrialized world. If you’re typical, your children will not have a better life than you. There is no American meritocracy anymore. A child’s future does not depend on how hard she works or how smart she is. It depends on how much her parents make. The United States remains the richest country in the world, and yet the American dream is dying, if not dead.
Mr. Rubio’s tax plan makes this worse.
As written, the GOP tax plan will increase the cost of college loans, while eliminating the estate tax. Why does Senator Rubio prefer to give Ivanka and her brothers another billion dollars instead of paying for 10,000 additional American college graduates? Why does Senator Rubio’s plan make health-related bankruptcy more likely by undermining ACA exchanges? Why does Senator Rubio’s plan make home ownership more expensive, while his Op-Ed disingenuously praises the 30-year mortgage?
The political unrest we are having now, while cast in a right-left light, is really discord between economic classes. It’s nothing compared to what's in our future if Congress does not take steps to reduce income inequality and ensure equal opportunity.
Senator Rubio missed his big opportunity to be honest and forthright and condemn the currently proposed Tax 'Reform' that is, in truth, a direct transfer of wealth FROM those working families he claims to cherish TO the 1%. He's keeping to the Republican line and all I can say is 'FOR SHAME!!'
Here, in crazy tax Long Island, the, "proposal," will only cost most of us money. With a 10K limit on a deduction for property taxes many people will be affected here. Even a modest ranch in a middle class development exceeds that.
So, the amount exceeded on my property taxes (about 8K) is now considered income by the federal government. The Republicans have now completed their war on the middle class by actually taxing, taxes.
Oh, but the billionaires, (and millionaires), get to faze out the estate tax completely. We can't have the children of the incredible wealthy actually have to get up and work for a living! How is that helping America?
We should take money from everyone and give it to families with children? Really?
What about those households you're taking the money from? Are they not equally entitled to live their version of the American Dream? Why should these households be mandated by the government to hand over money to their neighbors who choose to have children? One example that you gave is so that child bearing families like your own can afford to send their kids to summer camp. Really?
Kindly resist your urge to put your hands into my wallet Mr. Rubio.
2
Exactly. As a single childfree, I do more good -- through philanthropy, volunteering, good stewardship of the environment, animal welfare, running a small business that subcontracts to others, and not burdening the health, education, courts and other infrastructures -- than people who selfishly procreate. Why should their self-centered lifestyle choices be rewarded and my more global, helpful and selfless lifestyle choices be penalized?
We can import ALL the future labor this country will ever need. Producing new human beings ceased to be a societal good a long, long time ago. Time our tax and welfare code catches up.
1
1. Stop sabotaging the ACA
2. Stop the 'Trump tax cut' - the cut for pass through businesses which puts those businesses at an unfair advantage over businesses that are not pass-through. It will also create a lot of loopholes.
3. Mortgage interest deduction does create unfair advantages - but it needs to be phased out gradually.
4. Stop the removal of estate tax. This is essentially breaking the social contract that rich people have for the privilege of being a citizen of this great country and all the advantages it provides.
Me Rubio,
You would have to increase the child care credit by far more than $1,000 if you are also going to eliminate personal exemptions. These exemptions for say a middle class family of four presently amount to over a $16,000 tax deduction. At a 25% marginal tax rate, that’s over $4,000 in tax savings. And this same middle class family of four is likely to presently have Form A deductions of $18,000 or more so doubling the standard deduction to $24,000 still doesn’t quite make up for eliminating personal exemptions. Millions of American families will pay more under the Republican tax plan even if the child tax credit is increased by $1,000, let alone the $600 increase that is currently being proposed. Not exactly a tax cut for the middle class.
If personal exemptions are eliminated for all of us, I strongly object to childed households getting handed thousands more dollars a year per offspring.
Those who place the greatest burden on our society -- i.e. those who choose to procreate -- of course should pay higher taxes than those who don't. It's about time the favoritism toward procreators began to reverse.
1
Senator Rubio is so utterly self-abased by his toadying to the kleptocrats that it boggles the mind. It appears that we need to set up a basic annual income for people who show up for school and training every day, and then some of these peoples will be hired for "jobs," but for the rest of the population their "job" will be 40 hours per week of disciplined learning.
Not all states can afford to expand this tax credit. Utah for example that is dead last in per capita student funding. Also, what about the CHIP program that Congress defended? Sorry, Senator, your party does not care about families.
Mr Cruz, you claim that your idea for tax reform "started with the simple idea that families, not special interests, should be first in line for tax relief". How does that square with the multi-billion dollar gift that your Republican colleagues plan to hand over to Wall street executives, real estate investors, and other millionaires? Like the rest of your party, you pay lip service to the needs of the middle class while stabbing them in the back. What hypocrisy!!
These policies are a crock. Our economy, our National Debt, many of our social problems have a simpler solution. The government is too invested, on both sides of the isle, in subsidies. That is the real problem. Subsidies for corporations, subsidies for workers. The Earned Income Tax Credit, the Oil subsidies, they are all a crock.
The better, simpler idea is just pay workers a living wage. Pay them enough for their own economic security. Pay them enough so they can afford to buy their own food, housing and medicine. Pay them enough so they can pay taxes.
Pay the workers a living wage and a huge part of this nonsense will go away.
Can't argue.... tax reform SHOULD help American families. In it's current iteration, though, it doesn't (leaving alone that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is "reform" in name only). There's been little coverage of the fact that the TCJA eliminates dependent care assistance programs (often called DCAPs or dependent care FSAs), a tool that working families rely on to help with the cost of employment-related childcare expenses. If helping American families were truly a goal of tax reform (again, it SHOULD be), programs like DCAPs would be expanded; not eliminated.
During the January 14, 2016 South Carolina debate of republican presidential candidates, Senator Rubio argued that the deficit was out of control and a moral failing of President Obama. He called for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Now he supports a tax cut bill that will add trillions of dollars to the deficit. Republicans used the budget deficit argument to limit the presidencies of Clinton and Obama while ignoring the deficit under Reagan and the two Bushes. Anyone looking for a display of rank republican hypocrisy need look no further than Senator Rubio's essay today.
1
What garbage coming out of Rubio's mouth! The tax proposal may help some middle class taxpayers but the overwhelming benefits go to the wealthy and corporate elite. If he was so concerned as he states about working families he would support legislation that made child care and preschool truly affordable to most Americans. Instead, we get dishonesty from Rubio.
Everything Rubio supports is not in the best interest of his constituents, our country and beyond our borders. Look at what he has done to negate improvemebts in our relations with Cuba. It is time for the voters of FL to kick him up of office.
1
I chose not to have children, however, I believe in good education and children are our future. I will gladly pay taxes towards quality free education and Universal healthcare, make that a priority However, one month of daycare in a big city is about 2,500 a month, for something decent, Fido echo,dthe current tax plan is for big corporations and the wealthy, nor for the middle or working class. Really!
Senator, If you believe this, then I guess this means you will NOT support the "Tax Cut (for the rich and corporations) and Jobs (provide a tax break to business and hope it trickle's down to the workforce via salary increases) Act", for it provides 80% of the tax breaks to these 2 groups that don't need it, and throws crumbs to those that do. A NO vote from Little Marco? Don't hold your breath. Let them eat cake..........
Well, Senator, if you want tax reform that helps families with children, those without children, the middle and lower classes, then vote NO on the 'Cut, Cut, Cut' bill. Because the bill is not tax reform that will help us, it's tax cuts for the rich and corporations.
It's direct benefit cake for them and indirect benefit crumbs for the rest of us.
1
taxes ought to be fair across the board, say X cents on the dollar for all above a so-called "poverty line."
subsidies for children, married couples, ought to be separate programs for which application and certification can be made...our sad politicals need to get some of the essentials right, health care (permitting its deduction until it is universal), education (aka opportunity), no tuition (for all, including seniors, who qualify at various levels).
no one should pay taxes on taxes paid...seniors and their legatees (likely with families but not yet a peak earning power) can be burdened by property taxes on homes assessed for more and more each year (as the senior's income becomes fixed)...those taxes should be deductible and fixed, keyed to income, (with accumulated values deducted IF and when the home is sold).
so, still a post card, but with deductions for taxes paid and medical care (for many these alone will exceed the 12,000 suggested standard deduction).
and boxes to check for applications for any and all subsidies.
I love republicans that advocate for tax credits so they can do a 180 and call them welfare during the next election. Well played Marco.
1
How does it help American families to increase the debt incurred for every man, woman, and child for decades into the future? And these are the Republicans who have whined for years about the debt America owes and will close down the government resulting in real-time hardships on all Americans when they don't get their ideological way of budgeting for business.
We do not need more people on this planet. Why provide financial incentives for this? These incentives need to be discontinued now for children born after 2018, or limited to one child. NO you cynics, this is not the same as the China one child policy. If we need more people in the future, that is the time to re-instate such incentives.
Also, I can see the wisdom in providing tax cuts to large and small businesses alike. They will use much of this money to make new hires. In contrast, uber-wealthy individuals should be paying more. They have more than enough money to absorb the increases, invest in business, and continue their lavish lifestyles.
The net tax increases being imposed on so-called upper middle class individuals making 250K is extremely burdensome, and unfair. As a group, they are already paying the lion's share of taxes for the country.
2
Lovely sentiment, but how to you plan to fight your own party to make it happen? And while you are at it, maybe get some of your friends to think about getting some guns off the street so the same children can grow up safely.
3
Here's the thing, we are what I would consider a middle-class family in the extremely expensive Boston Suburbs. We don't qualify for any child tax credit, because we make "too much". Yet, we have decided not to have a second child because we cannot afford it. We cannot afford the increase from 20k to 35k in childcare. We cannot afford the 5k in medical deductables for the birth, we cannot afford the 15k in lost income to go on unpaid leave for 12k weeks. You're premise, Mr. Rubio, I agree with completely. Your solution, sounds like offering a peanut to a starving man.
39
A tax break will help many, but it won't help the millions of Americans with jobs that don't pay well enough to support a family. I'm sure Robert Putnam's Our Kids isn't the only book documenting the creation of the new American sub-proletariat, but it (and books like it) is a book everyone should read.
The best way to help families is to quit helping corporations lower their labor costs through outsourcing, anti-union legislation, and uncontrolled immigration.
Low wages are corporate America's version of the opioid crisis: addictive, destructive, and the opposite of everything we used to stand for.
Does anyone else find it amusing that the senator while not a tax attorney can opine on tax cuts but cannot on climate change since he is not a scientist. His children will probably thank him more for saving the planet then a few more bucks in his pocket but what do I know I am not a politician.
2
Spot on. The hypocritical, disingenuous and none-too-bright Rubio is one of the most vile politicians on the scene today.
1
Mr Rubio,
It would be wise for you the actually check the facts before you write. The current "tax reform", is actually a tax cut for the wealthy, currently hidden behind the permanent legislation. Please note that the poor we actually receive a tax increase of 20%, from 10% to 12%. The States that pay more in State and Local Taxers will lose the deduction (don't worry those are the Blue States). Corporations will truly gain the most with a huge reduction in their rates. This is being offered on the LIE that Americans have the highest tax rate in the world, not even close to the truth. The other ignored fact is that Corporations do no pass these savings alone to their employees, please see Reagan, Bush, and Kansas. The Inheritence Tax is enjoyed by only the exceptionaly wealthy, they do not need this deduction and does not involve small farms.
The Inheritence Tax
I have not heard anything about the government looking to take back the Child Tax Credit, so what is Rubio talking about?
Is this a gratuitous attempt by this unpopular politician to ingratiate himself with the electorate anticipating 2020 run?
1
Thank you Senator for creating a yet another diversion. This time one that pits those with children against those who have none. By all means, let’s focus about one infinitesimal part of a tax bill that is essentially a massive giveaway to the ultra-wealthy. Senator Marco Rubio, truly a champion for the common man.
1
Let us not forget that this tax plan is also part of a larger strategy to destroy the health care system in this country. Part of the cost of the cuts are to be offset by enormous cuts in Medicare and Medicaid put in the budget. How many grandparents are we going to throw out of nursing homes to pay for a massive tax cut for the rich. Quite strange since senator Rubio has lots of retired people as his constituents. Also strange is that polls show this tax cut is not at all what voters want. The problem is that the paymasters who subsidize Rubio and his fellow Republicans do not believe health care is a right and they will do anything they have to to end access to government financed healthcare. They have made it clear that they will cut off funding to the Republican party if they do not get what they want. One can hope that the tax bill will go the way of Trumpcare. Rubio, your ghost written editorial cannot hide your and your party's absolute lack ethics and human decency.
Answer to climate change and jobs is Zero Population, meaning a couple has two children only. We are overpopulating and destroying the only world we know.
2
My goodness Senator Rubio! It looks like you have been entirely rebuked for your nonsensical editorial. Enough with the GOP lies, we are just absolutely sick to death of them.
Dear Mr. Rubio, you do know that in most places you couldn't get childcare for $1000 a month much less $2000 a year.
Now imagine if your party were actually interested in helping the middle class and creating economic activity what would happen if we had universal pre-K for families were if the parent(s) worked they would qualify to have their child enrolled, regardless of their income. Imagine that! A parent could then get a job or work extra hours to make more money to raise their child. They would also be paying taxes and spending extra income. And let's not forget the countless benefits bestowed to children who start schooling earlier in life.
But no, it's more important to give tax breaks to companies that already have record profits, because you know they need more money to give back to shareholders, many of whom are NOT even U.S. citizens.
Senator Rubio,
Yes, as I said before if you care so much for the welfare of children you should write and address the gun violence issue. Many innocent lives are being destroyed unnecessarily. Like tax reform, socials reforms are also important for the welfare of the children.
I could laught but I want to scream. Who came up with this title? Marco Rubio doesn't have any interest in working families. If he did he wouldn't be working for Trump's vision of the world! Why does the NYT give theses individuals ink to spout their fantasies. It's offensive and it's wrong. Mr. Rubio has FOX news!
The Democrats better get their act together. If they don't we will be doomed to focus more years of Trump and his gang of con artists.
1
Speaking of families, what about the tax deform plan to eliminate medical deductions? Knowing what our family pays for full time care for a terminally ill elder, your kids' school expenses pale in comparison.
Tax cuts sound sooo good but do we need them? Of coarse working people need a break but is that break better with tax cuts or wage increases. Lets use the old Pub/Lib analogy of run things like a family would. Ok, you can barely afford to feed your family, you`re making your house payment but can`t afford to fix all the plumbing and it needs a new roof, your car needs brakes and tires and you can`t afford to send any of you`re kids to college. Now what do you do? Work hard to be in line for a raise? Work all of the overtime offered? Work at finding a second job? Or do you stop asking for overtime and start taking a day off every week? Start eating out every night without the kids and tell the kids to eat cheese? I think all of us that face these problems at home know, when times are tough you do you`re best to increase income not decrease it. Even when things are looking up you invest, by working hard, in you`re house, you`re kids education and possibly your own education. Funding our Country shouldn`t be any different!
If tax reform should help American families, why are they eliminating the personal exemption for children? My family stands to lose $4,050 per child ($16,200 total) for our four children under the House tax plan. We also (just barely) will make too much to be eligible of the child tax credit. Add to that eliminating the majority of SALT deductions, and student loan interest deductions, and the elimination of the Dependent Care FSA, and eliminating most of the college tuition credits and deductions, and my family of four looks to be paying thousands and thousands of dollars MORE in taxes under the Republican tax plan, primarily to subsidize corporations and the 1%. There is nothing in this plan that supports American families.
2
With the Republican congress and administration doing all they can to make contraceptives unaffordable or unavailable, and to make abortion at any stage illegal, Senator Rubio will not need to worry about families not having more children. Because whether they can afford more children, financially or emotionally, or want them, they will have them. Just like in the good old days.
It's a smokescreen covering an economic disaster. Short term benefits for Trump and his coterie of Billionaires, long term disaster for everyone else. When the economy tanks, which it always does when the rich are given their tax cuts, those child credits won't seem like much. They're already not much. Rubio sounds like a French aristocratic giving cake to the needy. Why does this guy always end up on the stupid end of the stick?
2
All this poppycock from one of the of the more outspoken Senators who made obtaining healthcare for your "family" a real chore and a more expensive one by the way. He is also working to destroy Social Security and Medicare. (I hope your family isn't counting on those programs in the future.)
3
Taxes are the basis for a country to build a decent society affording a leg up for all and providing a decent life. The dishonesty perpetrated by the GOP is staggering in its breadth as it rushes to cut taxes for people who hardly deserve a break meanwhile the GOP and the President will continue to belch out superlatives on rebuilding our infrastructure. With what may I ask, Senator Rubio?
Yes, real tax reform should help working class Americans. But this tax bill you are promoting is not reform, it's a $2 trillion giveaway to billionaires and multinational corporations at the expense of working class Americans. Call it what it is. Don't keep perpetuating the lie that it's "reform."
1
Senator Rubio is peddling a bill that, first and foremost, is intended to cut taxes for Trump and the ultra rich like him. It cuts taxes for large already rich corporations. It raises taxes from tens o millions of us who live in states like Illinois, New Jersey, California, New York and others who already give far more to the federal government than we get back.
Essentially this bill is scam perpetrated by the richest among us to rip off Americans. And Rubio is one of those wearing a ski mask.
Defeat this bill!
Dear little Marco,
You are still a wolf in sheep's clothing. You will never vote for what's right for the little people. Just admit it.
Too bad this is a lot of hyperbole...people will have more children because of a child tax credit?? Where does that leave the rest of us with no children...how about increasing SS so I will be able to have a more secure life? Oops, forgot the 1% need it to buy another boat.
1
You're a liar! Republican tax reform will not help American families any more than Republican welfare reform helped the poor. The Republican party is the party of big business and the super wealthy and has been for decades. A skunk can no more change the stripe down its back than the Republicans can change the fact that they are in power for the rich, only the rich, and nobody but the rich. How do you sleep at night burdened with the pain and suffering of millions that you and Ryan and McConnell gleefully dish out as if it were the best thing you ever did. And it no doubt is.
2
In a world that is becoming more over-populated for available resources, there is no reason to encourage large families. Why should we reward people who can't plan ahead? Two children per family should be the maximum allowed for any government tax deductions. We no longer need a large family workforce to till the land. No government rewards for selfish behavior, because even if you can afford to feed and clothe and educate your offspring, you should set an example of moderation.
2
I'm all for a progressive tax code that helps the less fortunate, but should we really be encouraging larger families? It's not like we have too few people on this planet.
Republicans get incensed about free handouts to mythical welfare queens, but Marco Rubio wants four kids and we're all supposed to help out. He seems to be immune to hypocrisy.
2
Exactly. His four kids will multiply exponentially -- from a man who's done nothing in his life but suckle at the public trough. We foot the bill but he lectures us about how to live our lives. Can't make this up.
1
Sounds good, but I can't help but think about all the government programs that help kids and families that will no longer have funding if this tax reform passes.
Houses in a high tax state under the new rates. I loose 25% of a very big deduction how about small landlords? Doubling the personal deduction doesn’t cut it. This just shuffles the deck.
The child tax credit is just a smoke screen that practically every president or legislator comes up with when the cannot think of anything. At all. Which is what most legislators do. Once you are elected to office the perks and the deference starts flowing in your direction. Next thing you know ol Jeds a millionaire. I’m sure mr Marco and his family has little to worry about when it comes to raising their children. As much as he tries to paint a different picture. Try being somebody for once. Get out of that fetid and rotten party your in and come over to the side where people actually care about other people. People who do things for others. You talk the talk but that’s all folks.
1
With any "tax cut for the working family" crafted by Republican billionaires, the devil is in the details.
Here is some classic obfuscation from one of the junior devils, Little Marco.
That's what the alpha devil calls him.
The senator would do all current and prospective American families a great service by choosing to vote against the current tax mishegoss and voting in favor of protecting these same families against senseless acts of violence (Texas/Nevada of late) by backing away from the NRA and leaning into gun control. Perhaps we could start filling this "fertility gap" he writes about by killing fewer of our citizens every year with hand guns and assault weapons.
1
Senator Rubio,
Congratulations! You wrote a very interesting article for you and your children and, may be, also those who are in similar situations like you - normal family. You need balanced tax reforms for children and parents of all categories - rich, poor, unwed children and homeless. To get balanced tax reform you need to consider abortion as well as public education for children who cannot even go to school among many other things. For abortion, you support 'no abortion' but you do not support help after they are born to unwed mothers or poor families. You call it illegal entitlement. Similarly, you and your party support 'charter school'. Poor and homeless children cannot even differentiate between public and charter school. How do you expect them to take advantage of it? I hope you can write a similar op-ed to update us with the above. thanks
Marco Rubio is a fraud. Throughout his time in the Senate he has failed to assist we Florida citizens. He has consistently fought against Obamacare and the expansion of Medicaid. He worked on the bipartisan immigration bill, then turned and ran as soon as there was a whiff of controversy. He spent the last three years of his last term foregoing his duties to run for President. He is afraid to address gun control. He supported a state judge for a federal court position, then changed his mind and blocked the appointment because the judge is gay. You cannot believe anything he says.
1
Summer camps; summer camps?? Thanks Marco for understanding the expenses of the poor.
Well Marco I hope that you and your colleagues in the Senate will sponsor public hearings on your proposals so the rest of us can vett your ideas, understand and understand their benefits, what they will cost us and what else you all have in mind for us to give up in order to balance the budget and make up for the 1,5 trillion in debt that the House bill sacks us with.
The Trump administration is focused on eliminating families' and women's ability to choose. Reducing women's access to birth control along with limiting access to abortion will force families into situations that they are not equipped to deal with. The tax cuts some - not all - of these families will incur are a joke.
This new tax bill also includes language to provide deductions for education savings plans for a fetus (although the far right is angry that the child tax credit won't apply to them too.) The unborn? Seriously? If these same people also want to outlaw abortion, is this an attempt to make the burden of an unwanted child palatable? Population incentive?
The child tax credit is too sacrosanct to touch and so it's here to stay. But why double that deduction at the same time killing the local tax exemption that would help these families in more bottom line ways? Surely the cost of keeping a roof over their heads is the single largest expense in raising a child and providing stability.
On a separate note, we have long heard from the authors of this plan that we need a simpler tax code. No loopholes. But when you start to dig, there are still plenty of special interest exemptions, mostly not applying to the common man. We can expect that the ensuing budget shell game to cover for the lost income from this "Beautiful" tax plan will damn the common man even more. Tossing out crumbs like increasing the child tax credit is a shameful attempt to deflect the attention away from the fine print they count on most people not reading.
1
If Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu disclose to the American people the contents of Donald Trump's personal and family income tax returns and business records then we would know how much tax 'reform' helps one American family.
The income tax code provides deductions, credits, subsidies and lower tax rates. But only for select industries,individuals, transactions, sources of income, business entity structures,contracts and securities favored by lobbyists who buy legislative and executive obedience. Unless you have a lobbyist then you are on the menu of the latest tax scheme. But you are not a diner.
Marco Rubio is a duplicitous diabolical dim-wiited perpetrator of socioeconomic nonsense. Economics is not a science. Tax policy is a political scam. Corrupt crony capitalist corporate plutocrat oligarch welfare is the deeply rooted nature of American tax 'reform',
2
Senator Rubio must have attended the same course Gary Cohn took and where he learned that $1000 would help American families buy a car. A $1000 increase in the child tax credit would do nothing to help raising new kids. Has he shopped lately for good quality day care?
None of the GOP’s tax proposals unveiled last week will help American families, much less those with children, unless they are at the very top of the income scale.
If Senator Rubio really believed his own rhetoric he would vote to defeat the GOP tax plan. But most likely he will support it as he supported the plan to deny health care to millions of Americans just because they campaigned on that promise and need a “win.”
Marco clearly doesn't care about childless couples or singles or Seniors! 50% of Americans over 18 are Single and they will be hurt the most in the proposed Tax Plan, especially in high tax states
1
Yep. I did the math once and figure I pay about $7,000 a year in taxes more than a childed household at the EXACT same income level. That's cold, hard, spendable cash I could be using to stimulate the economy by traveling, by employing small business owners to fix up my house, by purchasing big-ticket items such as furniture, etc.
Instead I fork it over to people who breed with no thought to the effects on the rest of us, on other species, etc. What are the odds their offspring will be the cancer curers of the future vs. obese, monolingual, sports-obsessed, fossil-fuel-burning Walmart shoppers?
1
Summer camp? Recitals? Exurbs? Now that's a targeted tax break...
Marco Rubio has nothing constructive to say. This article is not worth the time it takes to read it and then correctly conclude that its all fakery and nonsense.
BTW....he's not a natural born citizen. Folks that voted for this clown to be our president ought to be ashamed of themselves.
According to Wikipedia he was born in Miami, how does that make him ineligible to be elected president? Reverse birtherism?
How can Rubio mouth such bald faced lies?
Ultimately, when all the other proposed tax changes are calculated, most middle class families will be much worse off.
But not the ultra rich who will receive thousands to millions of dollars in tax cuts.
This bill is a fraud. Tell your Congres to vote it down!
2
Mario, you bring up some very good points, but miss the real mark about taxes. Yes, families are what our society should really be about, but in order for any family to survive, you have to give them the tools to let it happen.
You mentioned about the 30 year mortgage and student loans as a good thing. Wrong Mario. At 79, I've seen both sides of this tragedy. True, with the 30 year mortgage, more people can now afford a home, and with student loans being so easy to get, more students get to go to college, but who's really paying for all of this?
Any society that lives off of credit will eventually collapse. Don't believe me? Look what's happening around the world. Now the Republicans want to increase our National Debt by 1-1/2 Trillion Dollars?
Here's a good analogy for you Mario. Take a wad of $1 dollar bills out of your pocket. Every second, I want you to lay a $1 bill on a table. Do you know how long it will take to reach 1 million dollars? About 11 days, 24/7. How about a billion? About 34 years? How about a Trillion? How about 134,000 YEARS.
You talk about children. Why in the world would you put that burden on them?
15
Is Marco Rubio as crazy as Trump? The tax bill will be hardest on his own constituents. He needs to be voted out of office. Hopefully some latinos realize that.
1
Are you kidding me? Have you read who profits from this latest 'tax reform' bill your party has produced so far? The winnings all go to the filthy rich with a few pennies to families so your party can say it is for families. How many families will profit from repealing the inheritance tax? A few (and I sure don't know any of them) but it will cost our economy billions. You make a big deal out of doubling the child tax credit, but have removed the personal exemptions so that is people have 3 or more children, they get a negative balance. Spin it any way you want, but this tax reform will hurt regular families because you are taking other things away (healthcare help, medical deductions, and much more) in addition to growing our deficit to record levels. Funny how when Obama was in office and wanted to spend money on infrastructure (which would have grown the economy as anyone with a brain knows), your party said no we have to worry about the deficit but now that the money will go to tax cuts for corporations and filthy rich it is now ok to put our country into financial ruin. You should be ashamed of yourself.
3
I love how these senators keep using families as the catch phrase for anything horrible they want to pass. You don't care about families, women or the regular worker. You just care about your payout from these corporations and wealthy donors. Rubio should know, he's the biggest sellout of them all.
1
Makes me wish I had voted for Rubio. I can’t envision a column like this coming from Trump. In fact, I can’t envision him even reading it, much less comprehending the implications.
Senator Rubio—my senator—is, as is his wont, entirely disingenuous in this op-ed. As always, he has 2.5 talking points, but either has no clue about the big picture or conveniently chooses to ignore it.
1
This is such a convoluted spin on logic that it is laughable. Let's appeal to people by dangling a cute little bundle of joy as the reason to give away the bank to corporations and the rich. Based on how many people voted in the last presidential election unfortunately many will fall for it hook, line and sinker.
This seems like a tax dog treat, very little money, but maybe enough for the less educated lower class new-Republican voter to get excited about. Let me see here, I now get credit for my 3 kids, plus the one in the oven that the missus didn't want but had because we didn't have the money for contraception and because someone thinks it is better for us to procreate than to invite in many of our fellow human beings that are living in poverty in other countries or would substantially improve our economy or would welcome families of our legal immigrants to our shores. Immigrants have children too ..
And a few hundred dollars per child .. what would that really buy ? And then we pay how much more for health care, without government payments, or a junk plan that does not cover .. wait .. maternity benefits or any long-term health care for adults or children.
And no pre-tax dependent care, so there goes daycare .. or maybe mom should stay home ...
but poor and middle class families have never had mom stay home, that is just some (almost) upper middle class elite fantasy. Maybe that $30 an hour union job in the 70s let mom stay home, but well, maybe the job at Walmart or Starbucks has an evening shift or something.
Is this tax credit on the short-form or 1040EZ ?
I'm a constituent of Senator Rubio and have been communicating my dissatisfaction with him for years. This is a nice "reputation piece" written for the NYT. His performance on behalf of the Trump/Republican agenda is flawless, despite occasionally squeaks. His performance on behalf of Floridians is utterly flawed, despite occasional squeaks. This is one of the emptiest of men in one of the emptiest suits. He should have walked away after Trump reduced him to "tiny" Marco. Fundraising and reelection campaigns are his total pursuit. Worthless to his state and nation.
2
Senator Rubio you are not believed. How can we when you are supported by the wealthy donors those same ... increasingly out-of-touch, ruling-class elites... that you appear to shun in your op-ed? Your actions and voting record are evidence of what you truly believe.
1
I appreciate your view on this Senator Rubio, but the word “should” is not convincing. Please encourage your party to work with your democratic colleagues to present a plan that will be fair to American citizens.
Thank you:)
2
Then.
Vote.
Against.
The.
Bill.
2
Oh, this nonsense is designed to give a trivial break to some lower-miccle and middle-middle income earners. It is just enough to mention, not enough to make a difference, Meanwhile, the long knife comes out, held by the GOP, to eviscerate the blue staters who don't vote for them. Blow up the deficit, and give the .01% a significant tax cut. Wish I owned a mega-yacht dealership....
And now word from another member of the Con Man Caucus. Mr. Rubio you should be ashamed of yourself.
"Having kids is one of life’s greatest experiences. It’s also expensive. Between school supplies and summer camps, sports and doctor’s visits," Haha, what a hypocrite. He voted to take health care away from millions, many of them children. Summer camps? Maybe for your children but not for the working poor. I could go on and on but this clown is too ridiculous to waste my time.
1
Dear Senator Rubio:
Where's the rest of your tax plan that will help the most people?
Question....Are corporations families too??
Running for office in 2020? Don't do it!
1
Tax Reform Should Help American Billionaires.
Fixed the headline.
Little Marco trying to score points by lying and exaggerating to the American people. We would never elect this little man to the White House. No way will these cuts benefit the middle class and they will begin a new GOP recession.
1
Sorry, Senator, but this smoke & mirrors routine is getting very, very old.
Spare us the "I know what it's like to struggle financially" - you and your wife earned upwards of a half million dollars a year for the past few years, according to your tax returns. You have absolutely no idea what it's like for a family with 3 kids and take home pay of $50,000.
Here's a clue: first, health care, which you and your Republican colleagues fought for years to take away from these struggling families. And what about other benefits that help people feed these kids? You want to cut them, too!
You want to help struggling parents? Skip the $2,000 additional tax credit - that's a drop in the $230,000 bucket. Try making sure every family has rock solid coverage for the unexpected emergencies that come up with kids - coverage that won't leave them financially devastated due to a medical emergency.
Please stop the hypocrisy about tax reform. You and your colleagues are bent on slashing corporate taxes and top marginal tax rates while totally eliminating the estate tax. This will increase the national debt and not benefit struggling families in the least.
The American people are tired of the shell games. You want to help struggling families? Stop stealing their benefits so you can hand another billion to the billionaires. They don't need it. Struggling families do.
1
Mr. Rubio, you have no standing unless you actually take a stand for the very people you ignore with your vote as the party line vote. Shame on you.
What a farce this proposal is: to take money from the payroll tax. What's the payroll tax? Social security and Medicare. So, his grand idea is to continue to give millions in tax breaks to each wealthy taxpayer but take money for families out of social security. The government has already "borrowed" from the social security trust fund, with no real intention to repay it. How outrageous to use families' needs as a prop for going after social security. We know firsthand how difficult it is to raise a large family. My husband and I did it. But shame on him and the Republicans for their assault on employees, working people and the American dream.
Another bad GOP magician.
So many voters focus solely on the hand over there, the one with the bright, shiny, sparkling object dangling from it, failing to see the other hand pulling the same old emaciated, balding rabbit from the drawer.
Yes, Senator, but you still will vote for the repeal of the estate tax, keep the pass-through business tax, significantly lower the corporate tax even though corporations are swimming in profits as it is, will still help to at least sabotage the ACA and participate in all kinds of unfair and mean maneuvers to help the rich. The child credit tax is just a drop in the bucket, a $1000 per child a year will not help that much to defray the cost of raising a child. A shift in the income inequality for the child's parents is the answer.
and how does eliminating the pre-tax dependent expense account that families depend upon for some tax relief further the cause of families? How does eliminating the standard tax exemptions for each member of the family, seriously affecting the finances of families with more than two children help the cause of these families? How does eliminating the deductibility of medical costs help families with seriously ill parents or children? How does eliminating the deductibility of interest on student loans help the cause of these families? Wake up America, you are getting hosed!
If Rubio really cared about "working families" he would not support this bill, which provides even more money to the ultra rich and corporations.
How quaint and cynically meaningless.
Here we are in the swamp- to use that tired image- and you are proposing that we all should receive a pair of plastic water-shoes.
If your record had shown something different, the reader could take this for a sincere and much-needed expression of unity with our beaten down American majority.
But your official actions most often appear to reject your own latino heritage of modest, low-income working families.
The corporations and the rich and powerful pay better.
There is a false patina of middle-class activism, but underneath a lot of confused and confusing identification with the Conservative, dogmatic, pro-Pentagon, blind Republican allegiance.
You could do so much more, but you don't.
And so much more is terribly needed now.
Speaking for myself, what influences my decision not to have children, Senator Rubio, is not tax policy. It’s the very real fear that should I have children, they may be gunned down at some point in their lives—at church, at a concert, at a night club, at a hospital, at a movie theater, or at their school—and that public servants such as yourself will refuse to consider even the slightest change of heart or policy at everyone else’s expense.
3
Senator, the only thing robust about this tax bill is the millions/billions saved by the richest in this country---.
Yes Marco but we can do it by condemning the demagogue's Trump give away to the rich with his tax plan.
I looked at my fate re the republican plan and I got a break on one end, but it was taken away on the other end.
If you really want to be a leader and not put on the trash heap of history as another spineless pol., give the breaks to the poor and not the rich and make sure it is done in a fiscally sound way.
1
Patent nonsense.
When I was a single guy, I wondered why 'families' got all sorts of unearned tax breaks? Even having raised a family, I still wonder that.
Why do families who put the most burdens on public schools by having many kids effectively deserve the largest tax breaks? I thought the GOP was big on supporting oneself and paying one's own way.
Per usual, the GOP is simply pandering to get votes.
Utter fiscal madness and nonsense. We're now back in the thick of the selfish nonsense of trickle-down economics that busted the budget in the Reagan years and most recently bankrupted Kansas.
Shame on you Senator.
3
Not to mention burdening the health care system, "family" courts system with all of their divorce and custody cases (that WE pay for), social services, the environment and physical infrastructure. (the childed family across the street from me fills two 30-gal trash bins a week; I and two other childfree households share ONE bin and never fill it completely.)
We need to reward the childfree and charge the childed. They think they are doing a societal good but the net contributors, the little cancer curers of the future, are few and faaaaaaaaaaaar between. What we are doing is subdidizing the production of millions more waddling, fossil-fuel-sucking, over-consuming little Walmart shoppers each and every year.
Your bill offers nothing to people without children. Money should determine fertility decisions. Better you and your Christian friends should support Planned Parenthood to enable women to make better decisions about their bodies and more safely deal with their unique medical needs.
3
Sorry little Mario, this pig of a bill will suffer the same fate as all the other GOPer legislation - into the toilet. When I see the GOP strip the ability for students to deduct interest on student loans there is not much more I need to know that the likes of Rubio do not care one bit about average Americans. Let them eat cake comes across loud and clear.
The proposed $600 increase in child credit is much less than the $4050 exemption per child that the proposed plan wants to take away. Killing off all the exemptions is also a greater hit than doubling the standard deduction. Republicans are just looking for a way to get working families to pay for tax cuts for plutocrats who benefit from the government as it operates.
2
Mr. Rubio is delusional. No tax refund is going to make a dent in the cost of raising children?
His party - the GOP - is as anti-family as it gets.
2
Senator Rubio, I'm confused.
You write that couples are making a choice about when and how many children to have. You can't possibly be for that, when every vote you've ever cast has been to deny that very ability.
1
Perhaps Mr Rubio will tell us how the current republican tax proposal will address the anonymity of the offshore tax havens that allow his party's leadership to hide income from the IRS. Or to hide investment partnerships with Russian oligarchs.
Actually, if he can tell us how the tax proposal will not further burden the taxpayers with another $2+T of debt to add to the current levels of debt resulting from the last republican tax cuts of W, he might have a story worth listening to.
The reality of the republican tax proposals is to run up the deficit to that our grandchildren will be obligated to either pay it off or default on it. In either case, the republicans choose to add to the burden of the lower 90% of taxpayers while protecting their own special interests.
Seriously, any person who continues to support the republican politicians as they plunder the country, arm the mentally deranged, collude with our adversaries is worthy of being a republicans.
A lot of diversionary drivel!
Republican “tax reform” is not reform, it’s just 200 pages of added complexity to the 8,000+ pages of the onerous federal tax code.
Republican “tax reform” is not about families and children. It’s about running up the federal deficit and the national debt to heap more unneeded capital on the over-filled coffers of ultra-rich individuals and big corporations. A few red herrings for the middle-class are tossed in the bill to divert attention from the real purpose.
Other prosperous nations support their children directly, not through devious tax exemption/deduction schemes for parents, or means-tested welfare programs for families. They deposit monthly child support allowances directly in bank accounts. The allowance can be spent by the mother or legal guardian as needed to support the child, or it can be accumulated in a trust fund for the child.
Why not eliminate the carried interest loophole and distribute the added tax revenue to the children? How about foregoing the expense of another aircraft carrier or attack submarine in favor of lifting our children out of poverty?
Let's see some real tax reform!
Why should families rely on the taxpayer to provide a larger credit instead of relying on a better wage?
Employers have cover, since Nixon from Republicans who simply write a check with someone else's money to cover their buds.....
The American way I guess
What weak tea advocacy! No mention of Heath Care for children, day care, supportive learning environments, low cost higher education, and all of the parental leave structures needed for working parents. Try again, Senator Rubio and put some grit in it.
We do not need to hear about taxes from this financially inept ambition driven faithless politician with poor impulse control, whose debts where the subject of numerous articles (unpaid loans, $80k speedboats, glitzy spending sprees, unsavory backers) during the last election cycle - the one that ended with Rubio ignoring his senatorial duties in favor of his inept campaign, vow to not run again, followed nearly immediately by his repudiation of his own decision. That Florida elects him, does not mean that the NYT need pander to his delusion of competence or relevance and inflict him on us, the subscribers.
Good letter and thoughts, unfortunately, "Big Hat and No Cattle".
Unfortunately, we need a Republican "Win" in Washington DC, so the Republican Administration and Congress can demonstrate in real time "Results". We as a nation are no longer interested in good governance, we're most interested in the daily tweet show by the Huckster from NY. His supporters can talk all day about what he's doing, but the truth is, the economy is running on Obama era policy, and the "meth" of the new administration. Once the affects of this cheap "meth" drug where off, there will be a major recession and we'll wake to understand there was no long term strategy. We'll learn that NO investment in new technology, the environment, education, global investment and international relations have consequences. But NOT for the Republicans in power today, for they are lining their pockets with your money as we converse. Not a day passes without a factual story on Republican connections to Russia, or Republican lies to our institutions, all in the name of avarice. So this is what the Republicans have brought to Washington DC: Greed, Sloth, gluttony, vainglory, lust, hubris, and the wrath of the carnival barker of a US President.
There will be a reckoning by the Almighty, of this you can be certain...
1
Your tax plan has already been deployed in Kansas to disastrous results. We don’t want any more experimenting with the “laugher” curve. It’s a joke.
Senator Rubio, have you and others done the math on the MASSIVE tax cut you've been bragging about for the 'typical' family?
Let me do it for you, then.
Ryan et. al. have been gleefully saying that the typical American family can expect to have a WHOPPING $1200 (I actually rounded this UP for you).
$1200 that congressional leaders have claimed can be used to buy a new car. (Like what? A '99 Camry with 213K miles on it?)
Or save for college. (Let's see. $1200 a year for say 18 years comes to around $21,600. Yeah that'll pay for college all right. If you go buy what it costs now by 2035 that should cover a HALF A SEMESTER.)
Or...redo a kitchen. (In what country? Malawi? Niger? Or war-torn Syria???)
That $1200 comes to $100 a month. I'm sure you've been able to splurge with that extra dough. Or if you're paid bi-weekly, an extra $50 a paycheck. Enough for a family of four to get a half a week's groceries. And if you're paid on a weekly basis with hand written checks, and whopping $25. How far will that go sir?
Meanwhile the other end of the wealth spectrum will get about $146,000 back on their earnings which comes to $12,167 A MONTH.
Meanwhile, the draconian bill you're proposing is cutting out the breaks that help low salaried people like teachers and firemen and others desperately need to level the playing field.
Let's be honest, you and your colleagues are being totally dishonest.
This so-called 'tax reform you're bragging about...is a joke.
His tax reform is a joke like his tale about paying off $100,000 in student debt. That was paid off for him by a wealthy donor who by the way also got him a job as a professor and he rarely showed up to lecture.
Senator Rubio complains about “increasingly out-of-touch, ruling-class elites in the wealthiest country in the world.” Is this a reference to Donald Trump and his billionaire cabinet? Is “little Marco” planning a challenge to Trump in 2020?
1
This op-ed sounds like a Catholic push for growing your family! This tax plan does very little for the middle class. With the stock market at record highs and 4% unemployment why do Repubs say we need to jump start the economy by lowering taxes for corporations? They'll still use all their loop holes to pay next to nothing.
1
May i remind Americans how mr. Rubio undermined Affordable Healthcare? https://nyti.ms/2kkJdGv He is not to be trusted.
1
Just a reminder how the current GOP tax reform plan “helps” families with this $11,000 annual childcare cost. First they eliminate the $4,050 dependent exemption - a $480 tax break for families in the lowest 12% tax bracket - and replace it with a $600 tax credit (“nonrefundable” btw), for a net benefit of $10 per month. Thanks for nothing!
1
Instead of preaching to the converted – the long suffering American public – who know only too well special interests rule in Washington, turn your efforts towards your GOP colleagues. Or is the GOP controlled Congress so dysfunctional a column in the Times is the only way to communicate with them? They must be surrounded by an army of special interest lobbyists pushing the absolute necessity of this or that special tax break. Senator, go and do some real work. Talk to your GOP colleagues who wrote this monstrosity of a bill. You need to convince them what the rest of us already know....
Sorry Marco but if you want to have 10 kids then pay for them yourself. Why are we giving ANY tax breaks right now while we're in so much debt? Why do Republicans always try to buy people's votes by putting us further into debt?
1
Rubio is spouting drivel as a cover for a tax-cut package that would punish blue states and benefits corporations and the 1% over all other Americans. As one of Reagan's own economists explains, there's nothing about this tax policy that would make the economy grow better or faster: https://www.facebook.com/NowThisPolitics/videos/1769347989763350/
Instead it would merely cause the federal deficit to explode yet again, and all of this from a party that is supposedly all about fiscal responsibility. Yes, and the earth is flat, too....Oh wait, hmmm
3
Refundable credits lead to widespread fraud. There are better ways to help working families without giving away cash, like paid maternity leave and deductions for childcare costs. Tax fraud hurts us all.
Rubio is as credible as Trump. Rubio is just another type of right wing fraud.
1
Why is a GOP senator preaching to us about struggling working class families through what his leader refers to as “the failing NYTimes?”
A senator who votes to dismantle the ACA, consumer financial protections, and student loan debt relief. Senator Rubio who denies climate change (because he’s not a scientist) but needed a kayak to go to his Miami office last summer.
Senator Rubio is not a scientist but certainly knows women must have children, more children; thus, as a stimulus, he defunds women’s healthcare and their children head-start budgets.
Senator Rubio should print his op-ed in an American Taliban publication and go on FauxNews to enlighten his brethren, some of whom are fine people, I suppose.
2
From the man who lives in Florida and denies climate science while the ocean quickly washes over Miami.
3
Thank you Senator Rubio for working hard to convince people that the drippings tossed in our direction are actually the main meal, not the scraps...
4
Everyone has their preferred tax plan that, surprise surprise, benefits them. The reality is that for many of us taxes now consume more than half of our income. My spouse is retiring 10 years early because it's just not worth working when more than half goes to the government.
My plan: a flat tax of 20% on all income of which $10,000 can be earned back by doing 100 hours a year of community service: military, homeless shelter, etc.
As a middle class parent of 5 children, I do not appreciate your attempts to justify the largest wealth transfer from working class families to the rich in our nations history.
If you really want to help middle income families make college free. I would gladly give up the existing child tax credit to help pay for it. Instead, you will cut college aid to pay for the tax cuts you give rich families.
Marco, we see through your sham sincerity.
50
To quote Senator Rubio: “Congress again has the opportunity to achieve this goal, which can be done by at least doubling the per-child tax credit to $2,000 and making it refundable against payroll tax liability — the biggest tax paid by working-class American families.” More double speak from the GOP, who will say and do anything so that corporations do not have to pay their share of pyour hard earned ayroll “tax,” which is not a tax, rather it is a joint retirement contribution towards Social Security, which every worker will receive, in addition to Medicare, upon their eventual retirement. America, I am a retired CPA who practiced public accounting for almost 40 years, and I prepared thousands of tax returns for hard working folks across aii economic and political spectrums, SS contributions by employee and employee are NOT a tax. SImply put, they are a retirement contribution that the GOP wants desperately to eliminate so that corporate Amerika can help them get re-elected - again and again. Is this what all you hard working folks really want?
It should be no surprise that Senator Rubio is trying to spin the Republican tax overhaul as a break for families, a perverse distortion, while it is clearly a thinly veiled attempt to funnel more money to the already ultra-rich.
Decency and truth are no longer virtues for Republicans.
Senator Rubio, your hypocrisy is stunning. You pick out one minor part of the Republican tax plan as evidence of support for families while most of that plan benefits only the 1 percent your part is beholden to. Have you no shame?
1
We'll, Mr. Rubio, if I were one of your gullible constituents or someone whose limited intellectual capacity allowed me to vote for Donald Trump, I might believe you. However, I happen to know that this tax reform is for rich people, with a few bones thrown to the masses to shut them up. Your message does nothing but insult my intelligence. I reject your bold-faced lies and will do everything in my power to expose your fake plan for The middle class. The pox on all Republicans!
1
Rubio is a corrupt theif, pandering to the people who vote for him while stealing their money and giving it to his rich and corporate sponsors. Enough of him and those like him.
"...the crisis of the working-class family has steadily grown in recent years, with fewer marriages and children, less work and lower pay, and high rates of disability, all against the backdrop of increasingly out-of-touch, ruling-class elites in the wealthiest country in the world."
welcome to the G.O.P.
Senator, while I applaud your stance on families and their financial burdens, you sir, are "all hat and no cattle"....part of a party that is doing anything but giving 2 turds about what financially disadvantaged people have to endure to raise a family. even more shocking as you come directly from an immigrant family (did your parents have the proper "papers"?), led by a thrice "married" circus act.
you know, I'm tired of hearing from so many G.O.P.ers who have personally benefited from the bountiful compassion of our various government programs who now seem hell bent on giving the Uber wealthy even more money..sickening
There is nothing here. That it is expensive to raise and educate a child comes as a surprise to nobody. That it is, or should be, a national priority seems a tough one particularly for some on the political right. That it needs to be paid for or those that cannot will be left behind is pretty simple. So what is the solution? Diminish funding for public schools where most who cannot
afford are educated? Or diminish funds for school lunches or daycare or maternity time nearly all of which falls on the backs of those can least afford? Why should people who have so much be given tax relief at the expense of those who have so little or Corporations that have trillions of dollars parked off shore be given an enormous boost in tax relief under the guise that the benefits ot tax relief will be returned in more jobs and higher wages? If that is what those who have so much would do with the newfound wealth why aren't they doing it with the money they now have? For Republicans in Congress tax 'reform' is political. For real Americans it is a slap
in the face. This 'reform' is a ruse, it is a crock and we will suffer should it become real.
Typical Republican weasel words and error by omission. Tax overhaul, and the bill proposed, is more than the single issue you present here. Stop trying to appeal to emotion and let's get down to facts. Middle class families are not making $450K, why is that income level getting a break ?? Corporate tax rates are fair, but with loopholes galore maybe too generous. Lowering them will lead to more injustice with concentration of wealth in the form of executive compensation. Speaking of which repealing the Estate Tax only serves to concentrate that in perpetuity. Why remove the electric vehicle tax and continue subsidizing fossil fuels ?? I could go on and on about talking points you conveniently omit by trying to sell us on emotional appeal while expanding the deficit. It's time for Democratic leadership and policies of Social Justice to reverse the tide of graft that Republican party represents.
Taking away the tax exemption for the medical costs of taking care of my special needs child is not helping me raise him.
2
How cynical Mr Rubio. This tax plan hurts families not helps them. Read the fine print! And if you really cared about the fate of immigrant families like your own, then why are you silent on taking away the child tax credit for American children of immigrants?
1
The Koch brothers thank you for your robust propaganda.
4
Senator Rubio, whilst pushing the disgusting House bill, you mention the increase in the child tax credit to $2000-, which sounds good, but obfuscate the fact that the personal exemption goes away to the tune of $4050- per person. Your bogus piece sounds earnest in order to fool yet more voters into voting against their own interests.
2
Senator Rubio, You make it sound like the tax bill is all about cutting taxes for poor parents. But you know that is false. The tax bill is about massive tax cuts for the wealthy, for corporations and foreign investors; it is about funding this by increasing the national debt by $1.5 trillion, which you suddenly think is a good idea, after years of opposing any increase in the debt; it is about eliminating the estate tax, so that the children of the super wealthy who are about to inherit more than $10 million do not have to pay any taxes. And you dare cloak this in making it sound like this tax bill will provide money for poor parents. As a Congressman shouted a few years ago in a joint session of Congress: "You lie".
1
Hard to take someone seriously that supports Donald J. Trump's horrid agenda, thinks he knows more than scientists about human-caused climate change, and has had one of the worst attendance records in The Senate.
I live in Florida now, Senator Rubio, and can't wait to help vote you out of office in five years!
1
Are you serious with this dribble. A child credit of $2000 for the average family is less than $1.00 per day. That's enough for a ride on a City bus. You want to help families how about increasing the min., wage not giving high earners more tax breaks. How about doing away wth the oil depletion allowance, lower the interest rates on student loans;and there is more. You want to take a way the tax relief many families get in states like NY, Calif, Ill etc.,for payment of city and state taxes. You want to take aways the tax savings on 401s and make it harder for people to save for the future. Worst of all you want to increase the deficit to over 1.5 TRILLION just so you can have the "Show tax Bill". I am a Fla. resident and frankly if you run for Senator, which you said you would not-but changed your mind, I would never vote for you. You're simply an opportunist and only how power on your mind.
1
"school supplies and summer camps, sports and doctor’s visits..." Does Rubio have any smidgen of shame? Or the slightest inkling of what irony is? With his Senate salary and benefits he wants to say what the GOP should do for families? His party? The destroyer of families and family values? In a morning after white rage in Texas, God Help America!
"White Rage", yeah, ok....
American families also need single payer healthcare. We do NOT need someone like Marco Rubio chipping away at Obamacare. How is tax reform going to help when health insurance costs skyrocket? We will still be stuck holding the bag, while the likes of all of the Republicans reap the rewards of their terrible policies.
We’re going to improve the finances of Americans by eliminating the deductions for medical expenses, interest on student loans, property and state taxes, as well as making sure that corporations get to keep more-and-more of their cash.
Perhaps you and your parents were lucky and never had any medical bills, your student loans were interest-free and your homes were not mortgaged or taxed in any way.
Let’s be real. The current tax bill is designed to so hamstring the federal government that the only recourse that a future Congress will have will be to eliminate all social welfare programs that We-the-People asked for and want to keep as well as pay for. All this because your campaign donors want to end all the social welfare programs and turn America into a Corporate Monarchy run by the Kings, Dukes and Earls of business supported by the Self-Employed-Rotational-Freelancers (SERFS) who do the bidding of the new royal class – maybe even fight in their wars.
More Rubio/GOP bullpucky. Rubio ran up $100,000 in student loan debt decades ago, so he should know that fear of future college costs has been increasingly acting as the American family’s most daunting contraceptive.
So of course, the GOP tax plan ends deduction for college costs, to fund cuts in taxes for corporations and fat-cats like himself. Perhaps he has a bridge to Brooklyn he can sell you, too.
1
Senator, while I try to keep an open mind to all points on the political spectrum, I don't know whether to laugh or cry at your Op-Ed. As the majority of the readers have commented already, increasing the child tax credit as you suggest is a minute drop in the bucket, when considered against the tide of issues middle, working class, lower, basically everyone but the top echelon of tax payers face raising children. And, if you think raising children is an incredibly expensive undertaking, try raising a special needs child as a single (i.e., divorced) parent (i.e., myself).
Although I did appreciate your description of the establishment of your (and my former) political party as an, "increasingly out-of-touch, ruling-class elites in the wealthiest country in the world." Exactly. So, if you understand that these elites are driving the current "tax reform" debate, I am wondering why are you bothering to post this Op-Ed in the NYT? To present a sympathetic Ozzie and Harriet veneer to what basically is a massive tax cut to corporations, share holders, the independently wealthy? I don't think that this sugar coating is going to help the average American swallow this bitter of a pill.
Where is the GOP on the issue of affordable, quality, accessible (including to special needs children who are often illegally excluded from) daycare? Where is the GOP on early childhood education? Universal preschool? Expansion of dependent care accounts? Paid family leave? Nowhere. Exactly.
38
Senator Rubio:
While a $2000 tax break would be welcome to families with children, they are still paying $1000 a month to insure those children. If you really want to help families, then support universal health care. Families should not have to choose between healthy kids and raising kids. Do the right thing.
2
While you're on a conscience run, Senator, you should also address yourself to another aspect of compassionate and wise family support that is proposed to be eliminated, the medical expenses deduction. Elimination of that is nothing short of unconscionable.
Perhaps future mothers would desire and conceive more American children if they felt more confident that their children would not be slaughtered in their schools and churches. Wonder what the grand old party and their ever so proud NRA think, not to worry, they are too politically correct to speak to our real issues.
Well here's some politeness, keep your chump change.
Buy some fire insurance for your precious flags you worship with your big refund.
Before considering any changes to the tax law, let Trump show us his taxes to see where the tax law really needs fixing.
1
Funny how you’re writing to the New York Times Senator. Are you trying to convince us? Well you won’t. We know your republican tax plan is a tax cut to the rich.
Paul Ryan tweeted the other day that your tax plan would give an average family of four a tax break of $1,182 a year. Really? Only $20 a week? $3 dollars a day? Give me a break, how pathetic. Billionaires & millionaires will get millions of dollars in tax breaks.
That’s not even taking into account the cuts that your tax reform will do to social security and Medicaid.
2
Seriously, Marco. Seriously? It's expensive to have children? Then why is your GOP proposing to give mountains of cash in tax breaks to those who need it least?
I am sorry, but we can see you coming a mile away.
3
Lies, lies and more lies, Rubio should run for president. Washington runs on lies, procrastination, corporate payoffs and selective ignorance all thriving under our ignorant electorate. Washington runs on ignorance.
Give the middle class a few nearly meaningless crumbs of relief so that they will ignore the massive give away to the plutocratic few. It should be "Big Hypocrite Marco" rather than "Little Marco".
2
What utter hogwash.
There are 7.5 million hunans on this planet. We need to encourage reproductive restraint, not breeding.
Yes, kids are an expensive lifestyle choice. Plan and save up, if you want them. Don't expect to pock the pockets of fellow citizens who chose otherwise.
I'd rather use my wages to support philanthropic causes according to my value system, rather than someone else's choice to pump out kids she can't afford.
And no, we don't need your offspring to fund SS and Medicare for us ... There is no shortage of FICA-paying workers in the US and never will be. We can import all the labor we'll ever need.
Tax law should reward the childfree, not penalize us.
2
If only everyone could have a Norman Braman to help us all see the light behind tax reform. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/us/billionaire-lifts-marco-rubio-poli...
Why does the newspaper allow partisan lies in the opinion section? Everyone's entitled to an opinion, yes, but you can't discuss the child tax credit in a vacuum. Senator Rubio may not be rich, but he has benefitted from the "kindness of strangers" quite famously. Giving rich people a break serves his family's interests in ways he fails to mention here.
3
Does anyone actually ever believe a single word that comes out of the mouth or pen of a cynical political hack of this magnitude? Does even the hack believe?
2
This column is utter hogwash. Nice to increase one tax credit that won't last--and only affects families wanting to reproduce--but take away school debt interest and state and local tax deductions, plus more, so rich folks can get the break they sorely need (faugh). I've been working as a university professor for 20 years and still haven't paid off my school loans. That debt will cost me three/four times as much as it cost to get the doctorate by the time I'm done repaying. I am a full professor with tenure, but I teach in the humanities, where we try to imbue students with some sense of what it means to be human--and that includes the opportunity to treat others as you'd like to be treated. Rubio missed that lesson, apparently.
3
As a life-long reader of the Times, I expect to see differing points of view in the Opinion section, but THIS tripe — at this point in time? Really?
Hey Marco, does your your "tax reform" come with a deed to some Florid swampland (or perhaps a bridge)?
4
Yes, why was this sleazy weasel afforded any space in this news outlet? We know he's full of insincere, self-serving doubletalk, smarmy religious references, party-first palaver and little else.
1
Senator Rubio, did you draw the short straw in being the person the GOP pushed forward to write this piece to somehow try and convince regular American people (you know, your supporters) that the GOP cares about American families?
You say: "Tax reform is a key part of reinvigorating the American dream so that couples have the flexibility to choose how to best start and raise a family. "
But your party doesn't believe in this. At every turn, the GOP has fought viciously to deny families the easiest and most effective way of choosing how to best start and raise a family: access to reliable and affordable contraception.
While your party has been busy denying women and families freedom to chose when to give birth and to how many children, GOP lawmakers have still made time to prioritize repealing health care access to 20 million Americans. You know, American families.
The fact that that the ACA repeal would also gut Medicare and Medicaid is, to the GOP, an added bonus. After all, we shouldn't be helping "those people."
If that wasn't ruthless enough, your party requires its members to pass a cruelty litmus test. In other words, no one gets party support without sponsoring, and passing, devastating legislation for education, the environment, infrastructure, etc.
You're an effective orator, Senator Rubio, but you can't gloss over what you and your party condone and endorse. Don't write that you care about our families when you've taken every opportunity to devastate us.
3
Thank you Senator Rubio for offering ways to help American families. But this is just the tip of the melting iceberg.
Your Republican Party is failing us all. Your own president boasted about not having to pay any federal taxes, because he is smart. Smart? This president is dumber than a pancake. The rest of us have wised up to him and his greedy tax evading corporate cronies long ago.
I have news for you, Senator, you and your leaderless party have a very very long way to go to making America great.
2
Rubio acts generous, but votes reactionary. He'll abolish the estate tax for billionaires, mocking whatever he pretends to care about.
What is Mr. Rubio up to?
This is the same man who sabotaged
funding for the ACA.
Forgive me for doubting your motives.
4
Tax reform should benefit all American families, not just the "first" family and their children, who stand to gain over $ 520.000.000,00 in real estate assets after the estate tax drop, while the rest just gets a measly $2000 tax credit, which, depending on your income won't translate into anything significant, perhaps an extra coffee to take out....great family value!
And "family" does not necessarily mean children. All taxpaying households deserve equal treatment. We all contribute to society in multiple ways; breeding isn't the only way.
Trump's GOP, and even the 'respectable' members of the GOP, like Rubio, keep trying to 'put lipstick on a pig' by loudly pointing to little tiny things they are doing for normal American families. At the same time they are collectively conspiring to rob them blind. How? Actually rather simple, the GOP leadership and rank and file legislators are largely financially supported by the oligarch class in America. These people are virtual employees of the oligarchs, and for decades their job has been to engineer the tax code to siphon wealth to the 0.01%, the oligarch class. But what about infrastructure and education and defense? Easy, finance it with debt. Who will pay the debt? The tax code is being engineered so that those very same families Rubio claims to be concerned about, and their children, will pay that debt. And that debt obligation will 'trump' education and infrastructure and defense and health for sure.
32
If Senator Rubio was interested in helping middle class families he would oppose the tax cuts for pass throughs and corporations which will only benefit the owners and shareholders respectively.His proposal is a sham designed to make us think that he cares about the middle class. I am not fooled. Are you?
4
I live in Florida, and my opinion is that few here believe even one word Rubio utters..........you should ask him how he feels about corporate taxes for instance. I doubt you can get an answer. He is about as knowledgeable as Trump..........
3
Yet they keep electing him....
Blah, blah, blah. The bottom line is that you are taking out a 1.5 trillion dollar loan to be paid by our children and handing it to the wealthiest.
2
Dear Senator Rubio,
I must confess that reading this opinion piece by you was a pleasant surprise for me. It reflects common sense that I haven't seen from many in your party for a long, long time. It uses data to make rational arguments. I am not saying this in jest; I honestly am impressed. I hope you continue along this path and I bet that the kooks on right-wing radio and Fox "News" will label you a RINO and traitor.... That is the nature of Trump's GOP today.
1
Marco Rubio lost all credibility after running for reelection after pledging not to.
Peddle your self-serving garbage elsewhere, Senator.
4
Sure, a tax credit. Three kids per couple, max. I don't need my tax dollars to fund people selfishly having too many kids.
Why doesn’t Mr. Rubio talk about the massive tax cuts for corporations or the reduction of taxes for the wealthiest? The reason is that he’s trying to steamroll us just like the Republicans tried to do with health care. They aren’t holding hearings and trying to do what’s best for the American public. The tax plan would just throw money at the rich, in trillions of dollars, with no way to pay for it. Eventually, they would have to trim programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Mr. Rubio needs to start talking about the real issues, not families. Everybody loves families. But then again, this really is a transparent and pathetic ploy to play on peoples emotions.
54
"Why doesn’t Mr. Rubio talk about the massive tax cuts for corporations or the reduction of taxes for the wealthiest?"
He doesn't mention it because he's hoping no one notices.
1
There are many more impactful things the government can do to create a child-friendly culture that doesn't involve a manipulative tax scheme.
1. Access to reliable, affordable, high-quality healthcare that includes all pre-natal and post-natal care without additional fees.
2. Paid, job-secure, parental leave.
3. Affordable, high-quality childcare.
4. A well-funded educational system including free/low-cost public college education.
Without these fundamental components in place, an increase in the child tax credit won't have a significant impact on easing the burden of raising children.
Regardless of what Marco Rubio saus, he will still vote along party lines and approve the wealth benefit tax bill.
1
I’m not at all convinced the senato’s propsed tax cut will provide a sufficient incentive to bump up the fertility rate, but besides that, why would we want to see the fertility rate bumped up at all?
Senator Rubio, the tax laws are, and will remain after the so-called "reform" being pushed by Republicans, a Rube-Goldberg mess of thousands and thousands of pages designed to favor, for the most part, those with power.
I don't blame you. You're a cipher who probably believes that you are actually doing some good.
Uhn-Uhn. There's really no one who's going to be able to do any good and certainly not politicians who, to keep their jobs, must continue to give, give, give to voters and never take, take, take from them.
You write you have kids. Fortunately, I don't. But, yes, I feel sorry for all those who do have kids because the world we are leaving them can not survive when their parents seem intent only on demanding that "others" give so that "we" can take.
Another Trojan Horse by a Republican Senator to deflect from the massive tax cut for the wealthy and corporate America. King of the climate change “deniers,” Rubio wants to remove the “death tax” confronting so many of our families (a whoppping .2% of individuals), retain the carried interest tax rate for hedge fund managers and give a Roman holiday for corporate taxes in hopes that they’ll decide to hire American workers out of the goodness of their profit-minded hearts. We know where this is heading when the supply-side economics produce staggering deficits (see the wonderful “Kansas miracle” that just disintegrated as well as the failure of “Reaganomics”). Social Security and Medicare will be deemed “just too expensive to continue in their current form,”
while more of corporate profits will be funneled into Republican coffers to smear Democrats far and wide. Welcome to the new and improved “America.”
1
"Providing significant tax relief to working families shouldn't be a final box to check after all of the lobbyists have had their fill."
Of course...except that is essentially what your party does, Mr. Rubio, and we all know who the important lobbyists are. Just look around at what's happening in the present administration in all the departments, unchecked by any of you.
"We can begin the work of reconciling our social contract to the realities working families face by committing the resources of tax reform to a robust expansion of the per-child tax credit."
The GOP's social contract??? Ha! Good one - starts my week off with a good laugh. Is that another term for shrinking the size of government that was a plank in the Contract with America in the 90s? Yes, a social contract backed by no funding or government resources. And then the "resources of tax reform" - excuse me, "the resources of tax cuts"??? Uh huh. More of the old trickle down after 4% per annum sustained growth for 10 years, correct?
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you actually believe in the worth of the social goals, but it is much too late to extend that courtesy to the majority of your fellow Republicans, certain individuals excluded.
I await your next Opinion piece on sensible affordable health care and how any efforts you have made in that area are coming along with your buds, right after I try to sign up for next year and not choke on what I am looking at.
Except for the fact that it deceases the tax deductions for the middle class, so it doesn’t help anyone but elitist people like you Mr Rubio, so why are you bothering to lie to us again?
I am relieved and pleased to see that so many commentators have got Rubio's number, and recognize the con job that is the Republican tax plan for the 1%. I hope that their analysis reach some of the people who are right now still in the thrall of Trump, or Ryan, or some other Republican out to enrich corporate American at our expense.
2
Watch me move the cups around. Which one contains the pea? This "Rubio" is a self centered jerk. He has 4 children so there needs to be a larger child tax credit. The Feds give him a fantastic health insurance plan. So he votes to take away Affordable Health Care from just average folk trying to get along. He backed an immigrant plan, until it was not to his advantage. Gov. Jeb Bush helped him rise to his current position. He dumped Jeb. Is there a pattern here? Yea. It is all about the "RUBE" and he could care less about you or your family.
2
Their first big lie about the Trump tax reform is the sophistry of the “increased” standard deduction. To provide “simplification” and “lower tax”, they “double” the standard deduction (SD). But, they also eliminate the personal exemption (PE). For a family of 4, MFJ status the “new” SD of $24,000. The “old” PEs+SD is $28,200. So $4200 is lost as an adjustment to taxed income. To compensate for removing the dependent exemption(s) the child tax credit (CTC) gets increased by a additional non-refundable $500 x 2 = $1,000. But if AGI is over $45,000 that lost $4200 deduction is taxed at 25% = $1,050. That's $50 more than the new CTC-increase pays. So the proposed Trump system Child Tax Credit “increase" is not an increase at all and of little help for Mr. Rubio's family. And the GOP mendacity of claiming the new standard deduction is “double” the old is reprehensible.
1
Mr. Rubio,
This Tax Bill closes tax loopholes that normal citizens use to make ends meet, eg the 1040 Schedule A looks doomed. The mortgage interest deduction is being indirectly phased out from the top and bottom, interestingly the amount that is needed to kill off the AMT (creating a HUGE loophole for the wealthy). This bill does nothing about tax loopholes for the wealthy.
Republicans are killing the personal exemption, such that the doubling of the standard deduction means nothing (nothing except killing Schedule A).
Republicans increase the bottom tax rate to 12% from 10%.
You do not do anything to reign in Pass-through entities except limit them for everyone but the rich. You open the door for abuse.
The Republican's leave the top rate of 39.6% but no one will ever pay that marginal rate... I'll put $100 on it with you, Mr. Rubio. Keeping the 39.6% marginal rate is an insult to my (and everyone's) intelligence.
To add insult to injury, the last part of that bill allows churches to become politically involved. I assume the separation between Church and State doesn't matter anymore?
This Bill might look like candy to the masses but it's a wolf in sheep's clothing. A gift for the wealthy. A systematic way to create a static aristocracy that devalues talent over birth.
I ask you Mr. Rubio, to compare and contrast Jesus and Ayn Rand.
Mr. Rubio you are not a Roman Catholic if you support this Bill!
Respectfully,
A Roman Catholic
2
The proposed “tax overhaul” Rubio is peddling also states that “Unborn children are allowed as account beneficiaries- Section 529(e) is amended by adding at the end of the of the following paragraph. “Treatment of unborn children— “(A) nothing shall prevent an unborn child from being treated as a designated beneficiary or an individual under this section. (B) Unborn child—For the purpose of this paragraph (i) in general, the term “unborn child” means in utero. 19 “(ii) Child in utero— The term “child in utero” means a member of the species homo sapien, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb.”
...hmmm... GOP is sneaking language to destabilize current abortion laws. So aside from shifting the tax burden to benefit the rich, the GOP is also peddling their conservative abortion agenda.
1
We should not be using tax policy as a social welfare program to help American children grow up healthy, educated, and socially integrated. We should provide children with access to good health care (including prenatal and preventative care), excellent public educations, and after school care to keep them safe, regardless of their parents' incomes or tax burdens. We should invest in these things because they are essential parts of what it takes to make America great.
To the extent this article's author wants to hide the flaws of his party's tax breaks for the largest wealth holders behind the ruse that it is actually a universal child welfare program, we can see that he is prepared to make America great, but only for the 1%. Why he thinks this is something that would appeal to most of us is not clear. Personally, I find the chicanery offensive.
Give it up, Marco.
2
I had thought Rubio was ambitious to rise, and might change his stripes, you know, actually do something to help people. That stupid teeny tax credit? How dare you????
Indeed, Mr. Rubio. Tax reform should be designed to help average Americans. Unfortunately, every honest tax expert and every honest economist has concluded that this execrable proposal by the Republican majority does no such thing. And here you are, peddling lie after lie about it, trying to gaslight the poor, unwitting folks across America that you’re selling something other than snake oil.
Still Little Marco, I guess.
You are either in the wrong party or you are spinning a web of lies to obscure your real intent. You and your colleagues seem to excel in saying the "right" thing while legislating in the opposite direction.
The GOP tax plan is all about making the rich, richer and throwing a few peanuts to real Americans. The proposed child tax credit would expire in five years (kind of a mystery when corporate rate reductions are permanent). After expiration of the tax credit, a family's tax bill will go up. So this child tax credit is just a smoke screen to keep families from looking too close.
And then there is the GOP's biggest gift to America, massive increase in the Deficit to be later filled with dramatic cuts to social programs, Medicare and Medicaid. If you think raising a family is expensive, try caring for elderly relatives unable to afford nursing homes. And there will be no help in the event of serious illness, etc.
May you receive an avalanche of constituent feedback Senator. And remember passing a tax reform bill is not a "win" if voters hate it.
Better dust off those retirement plans!
2
“Having children is expensive”
Wow, such amazing insight. Thanks, Senator
2
Why does the proposed plan raise the income level to $1 million (from half that amount now) for joint filings at the top 39.5% taxation tier? Why are people who earn more than $500k a year benefiting while those who earn half that amount don't?
3
You want to know what is a tax on working families of middle income? How about my expenses during the summer when I have to work and I place my child on a Summer Camp? Well, let me tell you the low average is $4,000 a year just for summer camp. This is another hidden tax on middle income families.
What is also not noticed is that middle class can be anyone in an income range from, lets say, 40k to 250k a year. What is considered the middle class is so a large cohort, that it pays for everything.
Also, if you are mega rich, do you need an extra 30 million a year?
2
It's not a hidden tax! The public school calendar has been roughly the same for more than 100 years. Anyone who didn't compute that they would need childcare during school summer vacation ... well, let's just say, don't come crying to me!
Try being a single, childfree cash cow of the federal tax system, the Social Security and Medicare systems, if you want to talk about hidden taxes on lifestyle choices.
1
Re: "from 1960 to 2015 the average annual cost of raising a child in a middle-income family rose by over $11,000"
And real (inflation-adjusted) family incomes rose by much more than that.
Real disposable income per capita (that's inflation-adjusted income per person after taxes) was under $12,000 in 1960. Today it's nearly $40,000.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/A229RX0
Real median household income ("median", so it captures shifts in income inequality) rose from $49,000 in 1984 to $59,000 today - it would be much higher if income inequality hadn't shifted so dramatically. We can do a rough estimate of 1960 based on the per capita disposable and get $26,000 for 1960 real household median income.
So household incomes have grown faster than the increase in cost to raise 2-3 children.
2
Faulty math for a variety of reasons. Using averages rather than medians will not provide a fair picture if income distribution has shifted--and it has.
Disposable income for a childless couple in each of 5 or more income brackets (sized to each include about the same population is a minimum data set. You will find the income in the bottom 3 of 5 such brackets has barely changed. Now add the cost of a child, and the need for day-care (because most women work), and increased medical costs and insurance.
Tossing 2K of money toward child support (if you have enough income to get it) as a "good thing" when you are pulling well over 1 trillion out for the largest corporations and top 1% to see huge reductions is just cruel.
Your argument is only valid if everyone's income rose by the same percentage. Not at all true. Most of the gains have gone to the very wealthiest--who will get an additional massive tax break they do not need, and already have plenty of money to raise children.
Readimg various comments underlines the fact that our politicians are wealthy. Maybe not the top 1 or 2% but certainly not the ones who juggle their payments over the month so the check doesn’t bounce. I am not talking about people who are considered poor, I am talking about those with maybe $100K in household income but with over $80K in household and child expenses. And this assumes they have health insurance supplemented at work. As mentioned daycare, school supplies, after school care, transportation, rent, etc, etc and it all needs to be paid on time. And don’t get me started on food. It is not fun working full time and trying to purchase and prepare meals for a family of 4 on a budget all the while trying to make it somewhat healthy.
All of the people with Nannys and stay at home spouses like to write about how to make ends meet and put the meal on the table with a smile all the while having energy left for your spouse. Well good luck with that on a limited income. My only hope is the Rupblicans have ruined their chances for the midterms and we can wave good by to Trump in another 3 years. Mr Rubio, you have not presented a solution, you have presented the problem.
5
Marco, Marco...should; would. You know the difference. Do you think your constituents fools.
1
Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw 20 years ago: "Can't feed 'em? Don't breed 'em."
I made the decision to remain childfree early on. Kids are expensive, there are lots of them already, and my maternal instinct is virtually non-existent anyway. My partner and I have modest incomes, yet every year our tax burden increases. I just don't think it's fair to expect non-parents to shell out more and more when most of us aren't childless by chance; most kid-free folks I know are motivated either by environmental concerns or the reality of their financial limitations.
And giving parents a bigger tax refund might not be the answer. Let me tell you where much of that money goes, and I know this for a fact, because I work in the pawn business. It's spent on 60 inch TVs, iPads and all sorts of worthless electronic garbage. It ain't going into Junior's college fund, believe me. We are crazy busy from mid-January on, and people are so flush with tax money they don't even bother asking for discounts. It's not everybody. I'm aware of that. But I suspect it's a significant percentage.
Don't just throw money at people. Find real solutions, such as making the cost of daycare and after-school care (which is outrageous), more affordable. That would really help families.
4
Well, Mr. Rubio, with higher insurance premiums, gas that has not gone down, higher groceries, etc. I can sure tell you, that so called extra money won't even leave anything extra to support all those rich people you guys take care of. How about really taking care of people with affordable healthcare.
3
A hypocrit who forgets to talk about corporations and richest individuals.
A Republican hypocrit!
6
i cannot believe this supposed representative of the people could write such a dishonest "analysis" of a flawed tax plan. I would have hoped for better from him. what a shame...
6
Good reminder of why Sen Rubio shouldn’t get within 100 feet of the White House ever.
6
This is a cheap way to make people who are about to get the short end of the stick feel better. Thanks Rubio you're a real gem. Not only will any tax cut that a middle income earner would receive not even come close to making up the $11,000 difference you mentioned.
Not only that but giving a massive tax cut to the richest Americans and corporations will not make the world a better place. These funds will not trickle down to the people that really need a pay raise. Corporation will not do the right thing and pay their employees better and they will not all of a sudden create new jobs.
Tax cuts do nothing lasting for the USA except put all the kids we already have at risk. Their future is looking more bleak every day Republicans run this country into the ground.
4
Sounds like Mr. Rubio wants to help working families. Seems he's in the wrong party..
1
senator Rubio = you don't even care that families have affordable health care = or you wouldn't have proposed that amendment in 2015 to break the ACA = your writing this makes me very suspicious of who else is getting the benefits because none of your previous actions have meant anything to regular people
3
If Sen. Rubio was that worried about parenting, he would be concerned about the behavior the president is modeling. Bully for him for being able to afford four children. His family isn't healthcare insecure.
7
Does this mean Senator Rubio is going to vote against the current plan, which largely rewards the Retptilian Donor Class?
No? (I sure do not see any statement to that effect).
Shame on you NYT for giving this kind of distorting propaganda space and "respectability."
5
It is not my responsibility to subsidize 4 children for you and your wife. Aren't there excess children in Haiti and Zambia and Nigeria in far greater need?
My only obligation to you is to make sure your 2 or 4 or 6 or 8 kids are not dumped into the world as non-contributing adults by providing a free K thru 12 education worth $150,000 to $250,000 that would earn $7- 15,000 a year in interest if invested in the stock market. If you can't afford to feed, clothe, motivate, and house your children, you should not turn to me and other taxpayers to pay your personal expenses thru tax credits. It is not my job to encourage you to have too many children.
Before anyone has more children than they can afford and the earth can sustain, we better feed the children in Haiti and Nigeria whose parents have no access to birth control and did not have a K-12 education.
10
It's cheaper to provide family planning (aka birth control) than support foreign populations.
Totally agree, Steve. There is no reason that anyone in the USA who wants children can't work hard from age 18 to 30, make herself marketable, find a stable partner, save up for the obvious expenses and then proceed. (Despite what the lucrative Assisted Reproduction industry fearmongers, chances are great for conception at age 30 and above.) If someone cannot put in place those rock-bottom pre-reqs to parenthood by age 30, we sure as heck don't need him or her reproducing.
As a single childfree, I resent having to pay higher taxes than the childed at the same income level, so I have really amped up my charitable giving in recent years. At least that way the income can't be taxed and it goes to causes I feel worthwhile, including wildlife preservation, environmental conservation, indigent people here and overseas. NOT to middle-class breeders who are better off than I but still get tax breaks just for using their reproductive organs.
We don't need to reward the production of more humans on this planet; we need to produce fewer.
Everything you say here Little Marcois either a lie or truth stretched so thin that it is no longer recognizable. This tax bill benefits corporations the 1%. Period. Most middle class families will pay mo
4
Marco Rubio wants the tax cut for rich plutocrats to be family friendly?
How about funding SCHIP, about which rxpiration he said nothing.
How about speaking out about eliminating the adoption tax credit?
Nope, $enator Rubio gives great lip service while supporing yuge tax breaks for the very richest, like his personal patron Norman Braman.
7
*Should* help families? I'm sure Sen Rubio was grateful for such a helpful headline. Why not editorialize even further? how about:
Marco Rubio: Tax Reform Might (but probably won't) Help American Families.
Is there really nowhere safe from your bias?
5
Everything you say here Sen. Rubio is either a lie or truth stretched so thin as to be unrecognizable. The GOP tax bill as written benefits mostly the 1% and corporations. By and large, the middle class will lose in this deal. Draping it in Old Glory and hyping it as an encouragement for the middle class to reproduce is disingenuous at best. Nice try Little Marco.
6
Pardon me for being skeptical of Mr. Rubio's motives. But I want to see how he actually votes and whether he offers amendments to support child tax credits and whether he demands that they be considered. We've heard enough lofty populist sermons from Republicans to last many lifetimes.
The fundamental idea is stunningly awesome! This is an adjustment in the tax law that actually favors the poor. Assuming that it is a refundable credit, it is a laudable addition to the tax bill since most of the bill is nominally aimed at the Middle Class but actually aimed at the top 1%.
Mr Rubio. Either put some moral backbone behind your views or shut up.
I'm betting he'll vote with tax breaks for Donald Trump and against children right down the line. He doesn't believe what he spouts, he just shovels it out in an attempt to pull voters off the fence in his direction.
8
One change in the child tax credit does not make this stink-bomb of a bill smell any better. This is a regressive tax overhaul that disproportionately helps the rich get richer. We’ve known since the days of the sainted Reagan that trickle-down economics does not work. It’s a fallacy that rich people create jobs. (They save and stockpile their money.) The real job creation is the middle class, in particular with immigrants, who start new businesses at a greater proportion than native born Americans. Also, poorer people SPEND their income in order to buy necessities, thereby keeping money in circulation. It’s a terrible bill, and a disgrace that the GOP are selling out their constituents, but what is new?
91
Dear Senator Rubio,
I am a registered nurse, my husband is a forester. We are raising two daughters, one is in college at a state university. Under the proposed tax bill which you are a proponent, our federal income tax bill will INCREASE by $4500-5000/year, primarily due to the elimination of SALT. We work hard like most Americans and are pained to see this sham of a "middle class tax cut" and realize we will owe more! How can you tell me with a straight face that you think this a good plan? I have found you to be earnest and well intentioned but for you to sell this pack of lies as a middle class tax cut is wrong. I think you're being dishonest and I am offended that you are lying. We are counting on the "good people" in congress to be honest. This tax bill is sheep in wolfs clothing and I can understand Trump selling it, and even Ryan, but YOU? I'm very disappointed. Either you are being duped, or you are a liar. For shame.
Sincerely,
Susan Serto, RN
111
"Either you are being duped, or you are a liar."
He is a liar.
1
I'm 60, single and have never had kids. However, I love kids and revel in the pleasure of being a pseudo father, older brother, uncle, or special friend for my friend's kids. The adventures I have had with these young friends have enriched my life and their's, given both of us new and different perspectives on life, and relieved their parents, at least for a time, of the perpetual responsibility that comes when, for reasons not always appreciated in hindsight, they create a new human being.
Moreover, I get just as much pleasure giving my pseudo kids back to their parents after we have had great fun together. Yes, it's selfish. I get all the benefits without any of the responsibilities. But in this case my selfishness results in nothing but winners: me, the kid, and the parents.
I don't even mind that so much of my taxes go to education. In fact, it is probably the highest and best use of my taxes. I benefit enormously by educating the next generation.
But I seriously object when my tax dollars are used to actually aid and abet the creation of new human beings. We long ago passed the point where there is any need to create new human beings, especially in the first world. These days, it is monumentally selfish, stupid and irresponsible to create human beings and then expect others to provide the financial resources needed to raise them.
NO to child tax credits. NO to hypocritical power-motivated religious edicts. Yes to sex education and abortion.
Get a pet.
97
In other words I would prefer to invest in the future generation via education and innovation. NOT procreation. Just investing in a family tax credit doesn't necessarily help those kids, or anyone in the future.
Oh little Marco how are we to ever trust you again? You have failed time and time again to call out the bully boy tyrant who now occupies the White House because you, like your fellow GOPers are too scared. Well the people are are not. Trump may be the flashpoint for our nation's decline but you and your ilk will bear the blame. You allowed it to happen. Shame, shame Little Marco. You have failed. We are no longer listening.
Sorry Marco- I have zero belief in the so called tax reform bill.
Please call it what it really is- huge tax cuts for the wealthy that will blow a trillion plus dollar in the deficit that will result in the ultimate goal of the GOP- the erosion of social entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security.
The GOP has been itching to get rid of all social safety nets since FDR-and LBJ- even though the American worker has put their hard earned money into these programs and rightly expect to reap the benefits of these programs once they hit retirement age.
I am so sick of every GOP politician claiming to be for the middle class when it is obvious to anyone that has a 3rd grade reading level that the GOP is exclusively for their wealthy donors and works consistently for the goals of the ultra-rich to the detriment of the average voter.
Happy to inform you Marco- the majority of people do not believe the GOP has the best intentions for the American voter.
Most of us are not that stupid and gullible in spite of your fervent wishes..
No one with a brain and who does a minute's worth of research would think that the House tax plan benefits the middle class. It is clear that the Trump family and the other ultra rich benefits the most.
Eventually, the GOP will argue we cannot afford any social programs because we simply do not have the tax dollars coming in.
The gutting of any FDR and LBJ programs is the ultimate goal of the GOP.
3
Well, senator, why not have your state provide a tax credit to those families instead of asking more money from the donor states. Why is it that you propose a flat child tax credit that is the same throughout the country? Children cost a lot more in those evil blue states than in those godly red ones, but your proposal would give the same credit to all.
We have a Republican tax proposal that will remove even more tax revenue from CA, NJ, NY, and other blue states and now we have your proposal to create another flat subsidy for your and other states that don’t pay your fair share of taxes.
2
Calling this terrible Republican plan "tax reform" is a joke. It's a huge tax CUT for the corporations and top 1% - period, with a few crumbs to the middle class, and nothing for the poor. This is the holy grail for Republicans, their raison d' etre. What a despicable bunch of looters, with Trump at the helm. For shame.
2
Why should I subsidize you and your children!
If you cannot afford or choose not to have children your medical insurance should have coverage for contraception.
4
Steve: The "economy" needs a steady supply of consumers and workers. If we don't produce our own, we need to import them. Is that what you want? More immigrants? OK by me--I'm one.
Marco.. How on Earth do you sleep at night? But we can save that for another time..
Right now- I will explain WHY Democrats will lose in 2018 and WHY Trump will be re-elected in 2020. For the last 4 weeks LIBERALS have been busy undertaking a massive "who groped who" #MeToo campaign- when they should have been attacking this ridiculous tax plan. Only TODAY did I finally hear Nancy Pelosi say what I have been screaming about for 6 weeks! If corporations receive a tax break from 36% to 20% Which corporation has already publicly announced a RAISE to their employees? NOT ONE! This is what your social justice campaigns should be focusing on..and this is why the DNC is inept at organizing a cogent platform AND why so many moderate Democrats have given up on the party all together.
Time and energy should be spent on wages and jobs, not on some social justice relief for Hollywood actors or white collar women. Now is not the time or venue to have these discussions. Over 2/3 of the working population in this country is about to get raked over the coals by this tax plan and all the Democrats can do is rally for sexual harassment?
Hold on to your emotional support animals because things are going from bad to worse- because Democrats [AGAIN] went all in on Gender and Identity when they should have been attacking this horrible tax plan. Well it's too late now. With priorities like this- you guys deserve to lose.
1
Senator, would keeping the Estate Tax go a long way to funding your per-child tax credit? Get back to us when you put your Senate vote where your pen is.
That's a huge tax credit for "children" that need it the least.
2
Senator Rubio, you voted to kill the ACA at a cost of millions of lives. You voted in favor of the Republican Budget, which will cut ONE TRILLION DOLLARS from Medicaid and HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS from Medicare. Don't tell me you support families, you are just another liar.
5
Mr Rubio - your headline rings true. Tax reform should help American families, especially the working poor and lower middle income families. So why are you supporting a tax plan that helps corporations, rich individuals, and foreigners who really don't need any help?
If you really want to help the American families that could use help, go back to your own party and tell them to shred their current tax bill and write a new one - eliminate the injustice of carried interest that serves already rich hedge fund managers, cap deductions that serve only wealthy families (who are not suffering financially), and find a way to reform taxes that will not increase the deficit, which in a few short years would be used by your own party as an excuse to shred the social safety net that needy families rely on.
Are you man enough to do that, Mr Rubio?
5
Here we are with another dude talking about reproduction.
Maybe the solution, Marco, is to make sure women get equal pay for equal work, rather than trying to sugarcoat a terrible tax bill with child tax credits.
4
This talk of middle class benefits evokes a predator trying to lure a child into a white panel van with a bag of candy. We know the game of misdirection the Republicans are playing and it is nasty.
Is it rude to suggest that the good Senator go jump in a lake?
6
It is time to stop asking people without children to pay for your kids. We already pay huge taxes to support schools we will never use so why should we pay more taxes to support other people’s kids. If you have children, it is your choice and you need to accept the cost and not expect others to come to your rescue. Schooling is one thing. New TVs and beemers are another. Stop playing the kid tax cut game. We all must be responsible for our choices.
1
Oh, yeah, keep watching this hand...the child tax credit..the child tax credit. Try to make America believe that the Republican tax bill is going to provide "significant tax relief to working families," and not just a gigantic gift to the ultra-wealthy (and HIGHER taxes to some middle and lower families).
Good luck with that one. The word is already out.
2
Exactly; tax reform should help people, as opposed to politicians helping themselves...while keeping the loopholes the 'rich and powerful' benefit from; and the so-called deficit hawks adding trillions of dollars to our debt. Can't you smell a strong whiff of hypocrisy here?
2
Well, Senator, what was the total figure of student loan interest payments you were able to claim as tax deductions on that $100,000 you borrowed? Although you use that personal experience to highlight a substantial component of the financial challenges facing young families, why don't you, in turn, vigorously promote the retention of this important deduction? Why this glaring inconsistency?
2
Mr. Rubio- great attempt to manipulate us! Please look at your voting record, you have voted every time for special interest groups, the funding machine which keeps your party in power. You and your colleagues are doing everything you can do to destroy our great nation- the party of Lincoln is now the vehicle against every basic need we have- the air we breathe, the water we drink, jobs and education we need. Stop your crocodile tears and use your conscience to serve the people whom you were elected to do. The phony tax cut is to satisfy the fat cats to fatten their wallets, not the people. Your heart knows it- but your humanity gets lost because of your lust for power. Good try making a story to show how much you care for families. Actually, your disguised action will help Trump and the swamp around him. Corporate tax cut would not add to any additional job- I am sure you are not that naive to understand that our corporations are sitting on hundreds of billions cash with no interest in investing in the US. They can get away because of you and your colleagues who are driven by their money machine. Of course, they fund the propaganda machine so that you can continue to remain in power while our great nation gets destroyed. The tax cut will lead to $2 trillion budget deficit with no impact on jobs or economy. You would vote against it if you had any conscience.
2
Isn't Parenthood a lifestyle choice. Should the governments, especially our Republican Congresspeople and senators be demanding we subsidize a personal lifestyle choice. I can't recall anything in the bible about Caesar letting up on taxes if you have kids. I can't recall any of Jesus's teachings demanding we give special privileges to parents.
It's funny you mention those student loans, Senator. I imagine you got to deduct the interest off all $100,000. Your tax bill would eliminate that deduction for the rest of us -- so spare me the crocodile tears for working families. This tax bill is about cutting taxes for the 1 percent and nothing more.
1
ok, marco. walk the walk like you mean it. don't go to a corner whenever the GOP calls. you look like a coward.
Then why, senator, has your party brought forth legislation that does the more damage to families with incomes $100,000 and under than any other congress ever? And why, senator, do you and your colleagues keep giving my tax dollars to the most wealthy in this country instead of putting it toward things for the common good like education and infrastructure - things that are proven to grow the economy time and time again? Why, senator, do you hate us?
1
pious claptrap
do you really think that tax credits could put a noticeable dent in the cost of child rearing?
of course it does not - the only point of the tax is to pander to selfish constituents who see birthing as a right to be supported by the state rather than a responsibility to be undertaken only with due care
this is simply a campaign platform - and really I would prefer the candidate who says: God only made two humans directly, take the hint
1
Since when have Republican law makers ever cared about children or families? In fact, since when have they ever cared about people?
Thanks but as someone who lives in NY this bill is going to kill NY families without the SALT deduction . The child care piece pales in comparison. But I know you guys only care about the rich anyway....
Exactly how does repealing the estate tax, a tax paid only by individuals with estates over 5.5M and married couples with over 11M, help working families?
This whole piece is so disingenuous. The tax plan is a travesty.
1
Marco Rubio, like all Republicans, think everyone is stupid. Marco, please go back to sleep. This is a tax break for the ultra-wealthy paid for by the middle class. Thanks !
Tax reform should help the billionaires like Trump first, then it should help the millionaires, and then should take away as much as possible from everybody else families to pay for the tax cut.
The rich deserve to keep all the money and leave all the money they have to their children because they are smarter and better than us. We should be honored to give our money to them and leave without health care, schools, infrastructures, parks, EPA, FDA ... any government office really!
So. please. keep your charity away and stay the course with your fellow Republicans: please do rob us!
Senator Rubio's Op-Ed sounds like he really cares about children and wants the emerging tax bill to help poor parents financially. But don't be fooled by the empty words and the sob story of his poor background and large student debt. The only specific he writes about is the child tax credit. The details are not clear and it is very likely that it will not help parents with really low income and those it does help, it will provide very little financial help. If the Senator really wants to help poor parents, let him fight for real changes, not token changes that do little for poor parent and allow the tax bill to benefit the wealthy.
Social engineering.
I have no interest in subsidizing your four kids, Senator.
Have as many as you want. And pay for them yourself. Isn't that a Republican idea?
2
He is my Senator, folks. Don't fall for this wolf in sheep's clothing act. The next two editorials will be about Moms and apple pie. Florida is one of the states that declined to fund medicaid, by expanding Obamacare, to the tune of billions of dollars. If he thinks having kids is expensive, try getting sick in Florida. This man votes with Trump on all of the Republican agenda, be it casual or, out right, cruel. He's just better than most when it comes to hiding the warped morals of a Trump supporter. You've been warned but, now that I've blown my cover, I'm gonna have to go into hiding.
2
@Rick -- Don't worry 'bout a thing. We've got your back! But if Rubio is your Senator, I wouldn't mention it.
Social contract, I don't remember signing any such document.
“This year, Congress again has the opportunity to achieve this goal, which can be done by at least doubling the per-child tax credit to $2,000 and making it refundable against payroll tax liability — the biggest tax paid by working-class American families.”
So is Senator Rubio proposing that if you claim a child tax credit, that should get taken out of Social Security??? Are you kidding me?
How about if the GOP and Trump stop playing “Russian Roulette” —pun intended— with Americans healthcare and retirement savings, including Social Security. Because for most Americans Social Security is the only retirement they will ever be able to afford contributing to throughout their entire working lives!!!
Shame on you Senator Rubio.
Given how much this piece ignores, the targeted attacks against blue state voters and the readiness, the disregard for those facing high medical expenses, and the contempt for college students, this piece read like a piece of propaganda. Repeating the words family and children over and over again does not make a politicized give away to the rich good for many American families and children.
1
Wrong. The last thing we should be doing is encouraging people to have more children. Our planet is already suffering with overpopulation yet both parties don't dare to promote policies that discourage population growth.
2