Flashback: Sen. Wyden’s Plan To Tax The Poor

THEN

Liberal Tax Policy Center: Under Sen. Wyden’s 2010 Tax Bill ‘Close To A Fifth Of Those In The Bottom Two Quintiles Experience A Tax Increase’

“The Bipartisan Tax Fairness and Simplification Act of 2010 (“Wyden-Gregg,” introduced as S. 3018) is a broad reform of the federal income tax system. … This paper presents the Tax Policy Center’s estimates of the revenue and distributional effects of the income and payroll tax provisions in Wyden-Gregg.” (Tax Policy Center, “Preliminary Revenue Estimates And Distributional Analysis Of The Tax Provisions In The Bipartisan Tax Fairness And Simplification Act Of 2010,” Pg.1, 5/24/2010)

• “Overall… 29 percent [of all tax units] … would face tax increases. …close to a fifth of those in the bottom two quintiles experience a tax increase.” (Tax Policy Center, “Preliminary Revenue Estimates…” Pg.7-8, 5/24/2010)

(Tax Policy Center, “Preliminary Revenue Estimates…” Pg.8 Table 2, 5/24/2010)

NOW

‘Middle Class Biggest Winners In Senate Tax Plan, [Joint Committee On Taxation] Study Says’

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT): “[W]e have been laser-focused… on reducing taxes for the middle class. And that is exactly what this bill will do.” (Sen. Hatch, Press Release, 11/10/2017)

RYAN ELLIS, Forbes: “Virtually All Middle Class Taxpayers to See Tax Cut in Senate Tax Plan” (Ryan Ellis, Op-Ed, “Virtually All Middle Class Taxpayers to See Tax Cut in Senate Tax Plan,” Forbes, 11/13/2017)

• “Under the Senate plan, over 90 percent of <$200,000 families will see tax relief (or no change) in 2019 and 2021, according to the JCT's own data. The Senate tax plan is well targeted to help middle class families, as shown by how high the number of tax relief families there are in the middle class. Most tax reform plans would not fare so well.” (Ryan Ellis, Op-Ed, “Virtually All Middle Class Taxpayers to See Tax Cut in Senate Tax Plan,” Forbes, 11/13/2017)

The Hill: “All income groups on average would see their taxes go down under Senate Republicans' tax bill, according to Congress's tax scorekeeper. The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) found that every income group would on average see tax cuts under the Senate GOP plan in 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027.” (“Analysis: All Income Groups Would See Tax Cuts Under Senate Bill,” The Hill, 11/12/2017)

Politico: “The Senate's plan to rewrite the tax code would go much further… toward making good on Republican promises to focus on the middle class, a new report shows. Moderate-income people would consistently see the largest percentage declines in their tax bills, according to an analysis released late Saturday by the official, nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation.” (“Middle Class Biggest Winners In Senate Tax Plan, Study Says,” Politico, 11/12/2017)

• “In 2019, people in the middle of the income spectrum, earning between $50,000 and [$75,000], would see their taxes fall by 7.1 percent. Those earning between $20,000 and $30,000 would see a 10.4 percent decline, the report shows.” (“Middle Class Biggest Winners In Senate Tax Plan, Study Says,” Politico, 11/12/2017)

(“Distribution Effects Of The Chairman's Mark Of The ‘Tax Cuts And Jobs Act,’” Joint Committee On Taxation 11/11/2017)