OK, I admit it: This is basically a repeat of a diary I published yesterday looking for help, but with a title that might attract more attention.
Mostly what people hear from the Dems about how the tax bill will affect them is something like, “The richest get a huge tax cut, but the middle class get peanuts.” Or, “The tax bill redistributes even more wealth to the wealthiest.”
All of this is true, but I think doesn’t really drive home what effect the bill has on the middle class. And, at least in terms of the rich are getting more, it just translates in most people’s mind to, “Sure, but they do pay more taxes.”
I think a more impactful way to describe how the Republican tax bill affects the middle class is to put it in terms of how much middle class people lose by giving the richest the biggest share of the tax cut. To put it another way, how much more in dollars would a middle class (or range of middle class families by income) get if the tax cut for the richest (say more than $500k or more than $ 1 million) was eliminated or cut in half? This would show how the bill screws the middle class in real terms that people can understand; for example, “Gee I get $500 a year if the Repubs have their, but it could be $1,500 if the richest who don’t need the money don’t get a tax cut.”
There are, of course, other problems with the bill, but this is a gut/wallet contrast people will clearly understand. However, I don’t know what the numbers really look like. My guess is that giving the tax cut for the richest to the middle class — taking from the rich and giving it to the poor (or poorer), if you will — would make a big difference … or maybe not. Does anyone here know?
