Bill Nemitz missed his mark in his Dec. 3 column, “It’s not too late for Sen. Collins to do right by Mainers.”

Mr. Nemitz casts Sen. Susan Collins’ vote in favor of tax reform as a giveaway to the ultra-wealthy at the expense of everyone else. While such a statement might make a good talking point, in reality, it has no factual leg to stand on.

An independent analysis shows that middle-income households get the largest tax cuts, as a percentage of what they already pay, under the Senate bill. With a typical Maine household earning around $50,000 annually, doubling the standard deduction to $24,000 means virtually half of their income will go untaxed. The remaining taxable income will benefit from reduced tax rates as well as an expanded child tax credit for taxpayers with children.

In fact, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, Mainers can expect to save $2,238 if tax reform is signed into law. I hope we all can agree that putting more money back in the pockets of the everyday folks is doing right by Mainers.

Mr. Nemitz also takes issue with reducing taxes on businesses. According to the Tax Foundation, ensuring the U.S. corporate tax rate is permanently lowered from the highest in the developed world to one of the lowest will create over 900,000 new jobs in the U.S. and thousands in Maine. Greater job opportunities will put upward pressure on wage growth, resulting in bigger paychecks for low- and middle-income workers – something millions haven’t experienced in years. Various estimates indicate that reducing the corporate tax rate could result in wage growth of 4 percent.

Sen. Collins has been a tireless advocate for taxpayers during her congressional tenure, and her support for pro-growth tax reform proves that to be true.

Thomas Aiello

policy and government affairs associate, National Taxpayers Union

Washington, D.C.


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