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U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin gives a thumbs up as he arrives at a House Republican Conference meeting September 8, 2017 at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
For weeks President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have been peddling the demonstrable lie that their tax proposals are primarily geared toward helping the middle class, not the wealthiest Americans. But in an interview with Politico's Ben White published Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin gave away the game, admitting: "It's very hard not to give tax cuts to the wealthy."
"Mnuchin says it's hard to avoid cutting taxes for the very wealthy (such as Trump)."
--Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington"The math, given how much you are collecting, is just hard to do," the treasury secretary added.
But as The Huffington Post's Arthur Delaney notes, the math is not hard at all. In fact, the White House's own tax framework, released last month, had a useful suggestion: add in a higher top marginal rate.
"An additional top rate may apply to the highest-income taxpayers to ensure that the reformed tax code is at least as progressive as the existing tax code and does not shift the tax burden from high-income to lower- and middle-income taxpayers," the framework says.
When asked about Mnuchin's comments during Wednesday's press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn't deny that the rich would benefit enormously from Trump's tax plan. Instead, she claimed that cutting taxes for the middle class remains "the focus and the priority."
Mnuchin's comments came as the Senate debates a GOP-crafted budget proposal that Republicans need to pass in order to pave the way for a tax plan that non-partisan analyses have shown would almost solely benefit the top one percent, while increasing taxes on some low-income and middle class families.
On social media, critics mocked Mnuchin's claim, suggesting that it exposes the tax "scam" Trump and the GOP are attempting to ram through Congress--despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of the plan.
\u201cAnd there you have it:\n\nSteven Mnuchin admits "It's very hard not to give tax cuts to the wealthy." https://t.co/DtQk4CxIPw\u201d— Unrig Our Economy (@Unrig Our Economy) 1508341460
\u201c"It's very hard not to, so I guess we'll just have to do it exclusively" https://t.co/P3yPO2teTN\u201d— Fight For 15 (@Fight For 15) 1508354814
\u201c@taxmarch "It's very hard not to give tax cuts to me."\u201d— Unrig Our Economy (@Unrig Our Economy) 1508341460
\u201cGuy who wrote Trump's tax plan says that the laws of math basically forced him to give rich people a huge cut https://t.co/ltHThxD09K\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1508358241
\u201cMnuchin says it\u2019s hard to avoid cutting taxes for the very wealthy (such as Trump)\nhttps://t.co/IJyPqqAMF8\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1508331920
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
For weeks President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have been peddling the demonstrable lie that their tax proposals are primarily geared toward helping the middle class, not the wealthiest Americans. But in an interview with Politico's Ben White published Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin gave away the game, admitting: "It's very hard not to give tax cuts to the wealthy."
"Mnuchin says it's hard to avoid cutting taxes for the very wealthy (such as Trump)."
--Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington"The math, given how much you are collecting, is just hard to do," the treasury secretary added.
But as The Huffington Post's Arthur Delaney notes, the math is not hard at all. In fact, the White House's own tax framework, released last month, had a useful suggestion: add in a higher top marginal rate.
"An additional top rate may apply to the highest-income taxpayers to ensure that the reformed tax code is at least as progressive as the existing tax code and does not shift the tax burden from high-income to lower- and middle-income taxpayers," the framework says.
When asked about Mnuchin's comments during Wednesday's press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn't deny that the rich would benefit enormously from Trump's tax plan. Instead, she claimed that cutting taxes for the middle class remains "the focus and the priority."
Mnuchin's comments came as the Senate debates a GOP-crafted budget proposal that Republicans need to pass in order to pave the way for a tax plan that non-partisan analyses have shown would almost solely benefit the top one percent, while increasing taxes on some low-income and middle class families.
On social media, critics mocked Mnuchin's claim, suggesting that it exposes the tax "scam" Trump and the GOP are attempting to ram through Congress--despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of the plan.
\u201cAnd there you have it:\n\nSteven Mnuchin admits "It's very hard not to give tax cuts to the wealthy." https://t.co/DtQk4CxIPw\u201d— Unrig Our Economy (@Unrig Our Economy) 1508341460
\u201c"It's very hard not to, so I guess we'll just have to do it exclusively" https://t.co/P3yPO2teTN\u201d— Fight For 15 (@Fight For 15) 1508354814
\u201c@taxmarch "It's very hard not to give tax cuts to me."\u201d— Unrig Our Economy (@Unrig Our Economy) 1508341460
\u201cGuy who wrote Trump's tax plan says that the laws of math basically forced him to give rich people a huge cut https://t.co/ltHThxD09K\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1508358241
\u201cMnuchin says it\u2019s hard to avoid cutting taxes for the very wealthy (such as Trump)\nhttps://t.co/IJyPqqAMF8\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1508331920
For weeks President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have been peddling the demonstrable lie that their tax proposals are primarily geared toward helping the middle class, not the wealthiest Americans. But in an interview with Politico's Ben White published Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin gave away the game, admitting: "It's very hard not to give tax cuts to the wealthy."
"Mnuchin says it's hard to avoid cutting taxes for the very wealthy (such as Trump)."
--Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington"The math, given how much you are collecting, is just hard to do," the treasury secretary added.
But as The Huffington Post's Arthur Delaney notes, the math is not hard at all. In fact, the White House's own tax framework, released last month, had a useful suggestion: add in a higher top marginal rate.
"An additional top rate may apply to the highest-income taxpayers to ensure that the reformed tax code is at least as progressive as the existing tax code and does not shift the tax burden from high-income to lower- and middle-income taxpayers," the framework says.
When asked about Mnuchin's comments during Wednesday's press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn't deny that the rich would benefit enormously from Trump's tax plan. Instead, she claimed that cutting taxes for the middle class remains "the focus and the priority."
Mnuchin's comments came as the Senate debates a GOP-crafted budget proposal that Republicans need to pass in order to pave the way for a tax plan that non-partisan analyses have shown would almost solely benefit the top one percent, while increasing taxes on some low-income and middle class families.
On social media, critics mocked Mnuchin's claim, suggesting that it exposes the tax "scam" Trump and the GOP are attempting to ram through Congress--despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of the plan.
\u201cAnd there you have it:\n\nSteven Mnuchin admits "It's very hard not to give tax cuts to the wealthy." https://t.co/DtQk4CxIPw\u201d— Unrig Our Economy (@Unrig Our Economy) 1508341460
\u201c"It's very hard not to, so I guess we'll just have to do it exclusively" https://t.co/P3yPO2teTN\u201d— Fight For 15 (@Fight For 15) 1508354814
\u201c@taxmarch "It's very hard not to give tax cuts to me."\u201d— Unrig Our Economy (@Unrig Our Economy) 1508341460
\u201cGuy who wrote Trump's tax plan says that the laws of math basically forced him to give rich people a huge cut https://t.co/ltHThxD09K\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1508358241
\u201cMnuchin says it\u2019s hard to avoid cutting taxes for the very wealthy (such as Trump)\nhttps://t.co/IJyPqqAMF8\u201d— Citizens for Ethics (@Citizens for Ethics) 1508331920