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Republicans are fast tracking the Trump Tax Scam

Let’s be clear: the Trump Tax Scam is a massive giveaway to the wealthy and corporations, paid for by raising taxes on some middle class families and slashing critical social programs like Medicare and Medicaid. They want to eliminate taxes that only affect the wealthiest individuals and let corporations pay even less than they already do. Almost all of the tax benefits from the Republicans’ plan will go to the top 1%, which will exacerbate our country’s massive racial wealth gap.

The fight in Congress over the Trump Tax Scam is happening right now. Republicans want to use the special process in the Senate called “reconciliation” to pass the Trump Tax Scam with only 51 votes (just like they tried with health care). To use reconciliation, the House and Senate have to pass a consensus version of their budget-which is expected to happen when the House votes on the Senate’s version of the budget on Thursday, October 26. After that, they’ll get started on the tax bill itself.

Nearly every Republican in both the House and Senate voted for a budget resolution that gives huge tax cuts to the rich and corporations that jeopardize our commitment to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Call them now to let them know you’re disappointed in their vote and that you expect their next vote on the Trump Tax Scam to be a “no.”

Call our Members of Congress:

  • Call Mike Turner at 202-225-6465
  • Call Rob Portman at 202-224-3353
  • Call Sherrod Brown at 202-224-2315

SAMPLE CALL SCRIPT

Caller: Hello! My name is [___] and I’m calling from [part of state]. I’m calling to let [Congressman / Senator __] know that I am extremely disappointed that [he / she] voted in favor of the budget resolution that fast tracks the Trump Tax Scam. [If you are calling your Congressman: I expect that the Congressman will vote against the budget resolution this time when it comes back up on the House floor later this week.]

Staffer: The [Congressman / Senator] thinks now is the time for tax reform so that we can unleash new economic growth, and passing the budget resolution is a critical part of that.

Caller: I agree with you that the tax code isn’t perfect. But what Donald Trump and the Republicans have proposed is not tax reform: it’s tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals and corporations. Things like repealing the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax only help the super rich. I expect the [Congressman / Senator] to vote against any tax bill that gives one penny in tax cuts to the 1% or corporations that the middle class will have to pick up the tab for down the road.

Staffer: The plan isn’t finalized yet, it’s still being drafted so we don’t know yet exactly what will be included. But the [Congressman / Senator] thinks we need tax reform to jumpstart the economy. Right now, we have the highest corporate tax rate in the whole world!

Caller: That’s not true. The amount corporations actually pay is much lower than what they’re supposed to pay. Their effective tax rate, according to the Government Accountability Office, is only 14%. That rate is in line with or lower than the rest of the world, and there’s no evidence that the tax rate hurts U.S. competitiveness. I want [Congressman / Senator __] to hold corporations accountable for paying their fair share, not let them off the hook.

Staffer: Well the [Congressman / Senator] thinks we need to close the special interest loopholes and make our tax code simpler. Our tax code is 2,600 pages long and most Americans need help just to file a simple tax return. If we pass tax reform, filing taxes could be as easy as filling out a postcard.

Caller: I agree that there are too many loopholes in the tax code that the wealthy and corporations exploit to get away with paying less than their fair share. But the postcard idea doesn’t work, and if by simplifying the tax code you mean consolidating brackets, then I’m opposed to that. That is an idea that only benefits the rich. [Congressman/Senator] needs to oppose the Trump Tax Scam because it doesn’t really help the middle class—just the rich, corporations, and Donald Trump himself.

Staffer: I’ll pass your thoughts along to the [Congressman / Senator].

Caller: Yes please do, and please take down my contact information so you can let me know what the [Congressman / Senator] decides to do

 

Thank you to Indivisible for their great CTA today!

https://www.trumptaxscam.org/republican-call-script-to-stop-the-trump-tax-scam