Sen. John Kennedy on Thursday said tax policy should not be based on social or economic class, arguing that wealthy Americans should get a tax break as well.
“If it’s up to me, then it will,” Mr. Kennedy, Louisiana Republican, said on Fox News, when asked if the Republican plan would include a tax break for the wealthy. “I don’t think you ought to make tax policy on the basis of class. If you pay most of the taxes, then you ought to get a tax cut.”
Mr. Kennedy did not say whether the top tax rate would be lowered in the Republican bill, set to come out Thursday, but he said he would support such a measure if proposed. The senator also said he supports eliminating the state and local tax deduction as a way to offset the cost of cutting taxes.
“We’ve got to cut taxes, but we’ve got to keep an eye toward our debt. And the only way to do that is to go through the tax code, and look at all the loopholes, and close some of them,” he said.
The state and local tax deduction is particularly important to those in high-tax states, who are able to write off those taxes, and the federal government compensates local governments. But Republicans insist this elimination will not cause major tax hikes for middle-class families in those states since they will receive a larger tax cut on their income.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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