Dem rep compares tax cut for blue state millionaires to Gandhi's marches against colonialism
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., made an unusual historical comparison
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Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., made an unusual historical comparison as he and other Democrats pushed to eliminate or relax the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions.
While speaking in favor of the policy that would chiefly benefit high earners in blue states, Raskin made a joke about Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi's 1930 Salt March protesting British colonial rule.
DEMS PUSH FOR SALT CAP RELAX, REPEAL WOULD LARGELY BENEFIT THE WEALTHIEST, STUDY SHOWS
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"We've got to have a SALT march, like Gandhi did," Raskin said, generating laughter among his colleagues, according to NBC News. "Let's have a SALT march in America to restore some common sense to our tax policy."
Raskin claimed middle-class people in his district are "severely affected" by the SALT (state and local tax) cap on Wednesday.
Democrats representing high-tax states say removing the cap will act as a tax break to middle-class families in their districts, where residents face high income and property taxes.
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An analysis conducted by independent think tank The Tax Foundation found that three of the adjustments lawmakers are proposing to the $10,000 cap, implemented as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, will solely help high earners.
Doubling the cap to $20,000 for joint filers, for example, would increase the after-tax incomes of people in the top 20% by an average of 0.2% — but more heavily favoring those in the top 10%.
Moving the cap to $15,000 for individual filers and $30,000 for joint filers would benefit those in the 95th to 99th income percentiles the most, according to the Tax Foundation. This group would see its after-tax incomes rise by 0.8%, while the top 1% would see a 0.4% increase.
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Repealing the cap entirely favors those in the top 1% — with an expected 2.8% boost to the after-tax income of this group.
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None of the scenarios benefit any taxpayers in the 0%-to-80% income percentiles by more than 0.05%.
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President Biden has repeatedly mentioned that his policies and tax proposals are designed to help middle-class families and not the millionaire and billionaire classes.
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"So for folks at home, I’d like to ask a question, do we want to give the wealthiest people in America another tax cut?" Biden previously said. "Or do you want to give every high school graduate the ability to earn a community college degree on their way to good-paying jobs or on the way to four years of school?"
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The cap was implemented as part of 2017's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
FOX Business' Brittany De Lea contributed to this report.